About ME!| About Me! *UPDATE* Jan 1, 10 Happy New Year |
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| Written by Nikita | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Friday, 27 March 2009 03:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tales From The Cells has grown over the past 2 years. It's become such a huge project that you can't accurately describe everything it's about. Prison. Federal. State. The judicial system in between. The souls that are caught up in it all. The people who run the prison facilities. It's so much more than it ever began. 2009 was a good year for us, we have accomplished a lot, and I hope to be able to say 2010 brings us even more. Every person, every case, every story that we can get out there for people to see, for people to read, every connection that can be made, is a success for Tales From The Cells. The Tales From The Cells family is a close knit one, and we welcome each new member equally. The quote from a Disney movie my son enjoys, “Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten.” That is where we are different from other advocacy and pen pal sources. We take each client personally. We take each writer for us seriously. Innocent until proven guilty rings true here.
One of our writers for Tales once told me, “Niks, we really did it. (speaking of convicts in general) Make no mistake about that. It's the sentencing and the treatment inside that is the problem.” And that is so true. When these people are sentenced by a judge to a lengthy prison sentence, they are sentencing them to just that. Time away from society. Time away from family, kids, wives/husbands, loved ones. A simple steak or a cigarette. That is what the judge is taking away. What that judge is not sentencing is poor medical care to the point of death in many cases. The sentence is not fear for survival because there is no rhyme or reason to the housing procedure. It is not taking away the right to speak out, to be subject to violence or right ups that effect the entire prison term just because one Correctional Officer came to work pissed off. The prison system needs work people, and it will never change if people do not know what is going on. Tales From The Cells gives prisoners that voice. Federal and State prisons are run with tax dollars. Your money is paying for this.
Tales does not believe that a prison sentence should be a cushy, fluffy ride. Of course not. There are members of our staff that have been raped. I would ask for the same treatment for that rapist that I would for a meth manufacturer. Equal means equal. I don't think that a prisoner should have to worry about basic needs. And I do not believe that the general public even realizes what is going on inside. Awareness makes all the difference. Prisoners are held accountable, now I would like to see prison staff be held accountable. Some of the stories that have past my desk have been deplorable. Both immoral and unethical. So, we set out to make those stories available to you. You decide. Tales From The Cells will go on until I have no breath left in me, it just takes one person to make a difference. Pretty soon one person becomes an army of one. Then, perhaps someone out there will listen and have the power to change the treatment of our grandmothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, parents, children, siblings, friends, and loved ones.
2010 will bring a printed subscription to Tales From The Cells that will include the reporting and inside stories, the pen pal ads, and the My Story ads. With more involvement from our prisoners, we should have a well built art section, and each printed addition will feature an artist. As for the site, we've got pen pals and My Story ads lined up. We've got several pieces of art and poetry. And we've got the nitty gritty reality of how it is on the inside. If you've ever wondered what it was like to be in prison for whatever reason, if you are curious about how it is, this is the closest to reality to will get without taking a ride inside yourself.
We will be putting up a paypal donation button should you be able to help with Tales cost of running. Even a little bit will help us go a lot longer and harder in 2010!! Donations can also be received at our mailing address, which I will include here for you. I thank you in advance, this mission is important, and you can help keep us keepin on!
In closing, I would like to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year. Hold your loved ones a little tighter this year, laugh a few seconds longer, take the time to enjoy the small things. All life is, is a whole bunch of small things bundled into one. Remember that everyone can make a difference here at Tales From The Cells. Join our family, leave your comments, thoughts, and ideas. Nobody is forgotten, inside or out!
Be Good and Be Well... ~Nikita Tales From The Cells President
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 05 January 2010 01:06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tales From The Cells
I am quite impressed with what you have done, Nicole. keep up th
