The Caged Life

This guy is classically unlucky as his prison experience charts some of the worst periods and places in the absolutely dreadful history of the U.S. Penal system. The ignorant moral hypocrites that call (the majority) of these inmates scum and uncivilizable etc. are in fact the real scum of our society who do nothing to solve problems but everything to blame others and wash their hands of it. With 700,thousand( about one third) inmates incarcerated for drug offenses, MOSTLY MARIJUANA the attitude of selfish conservative leeches hurling moral indignation about a world they primarily created is laughable, or it would be if it didn't translate to sociopathic political influences like the "tea party" impeding social progress. As usual, real world gains elude the great United States thanks to the idiocy of those that overstate "American Exceptionalism" and refuse to admit fortune plays a hand in all lives.. The founding fathers would hang most for treason.

I spent 7 years in prison in Australia,from age 19 to 26. Of those 7 years I spent 1 year in isolation for violent crimes i committed in prison. I went to prison for drug-related,non-violent,crimes. Whilst imprisoned I became angry because I often was bullied with violence and intimidation from other inmates,and also from correctional staff. For my first year of imprisonment I weakly took the abuse dished out to me without being able to find the strength required to defend myself. One day I 'snapped' when a large,6 foot 2,115 kilogram,black man attempted to 'stand over' me for a measly newspaper. I attacked him in a fit of rage,except I weighed 70 kilograms and I stand 5 foot 11 inches tall,so he was able to overpower me,however I kept fighting until correctional officers eventually broke up the fight. I found it amusing that the white guys all of a sudden started to treat me with a level of respect and of kindness. I soon learnt that respect in prison is actually fear,not respect in the true sense of the word. To be honest,I disrespected nearly every prisoner I'd met previously,because it was the rare prisoner who showed me kindness prior to my fight with the black guy. Next I planned to stab,and kill,a black prisoner who was planning to assault me with his fellow black mates because he felt that I was racist. He felt he could easily assault me because I was not affiliated with 'the angry gang'(Australias version of 'the aryan brotherhood),nor was I intimidatng in physical stature. I felt myself spinning into a world of anger and hate. A hate directed towards every prisoner who considered themselves 'tough guys',when in reality they were simply oversized schoolyard bullies who only picked on weaker targets. Also,I had been building up resentment for some correctional staff who felt it was their duty to make my prison sentence as uncomfortable as possible. Not all correctional staff and prisoners treated me badly so I only despised the ones who mistreated me. I fashioned a 'marmy' (Australian prison slang for a blade.marmalade jam,blade,knife) from a piece of steel from a bucket and I planned to slip the marmy into the black guys neck. An older,wiser man who was a member of 'the angry gang' told me not to murder him because soon a large amount of heroin would be arriving and he would give me enough heroin to give him a lethal overdose of heroin. Fortunately for the black guy,he must of sensed his days were numbered,because I was being too nice to him,so he slipped the noose,which he achieved by threatening correctional staff. I saw him when I was enroute to the oval for sports a week later and I attacked him with my fists,and I didn't do too badly. Soon after that incident a correctional officer began to take pleasure in making life uncomfortable by adding his own form of extra punishment to my sentence. At this point I'll add that I was not angry with the prison system,nor did I hate the world or have a chip on my shoulder. I fully accepted responsibility for my crimes,and i believed I deserved to be punished and relieved of my freedom for a period of time. 4 years was my original prison sentence. Some months passed,and I became withdrawn,quiet,and I focused on minding my own business. I figured that if I minded my own business,didn't break any of the prisoners codes of conduct,and didn't give correctional staff any hassles then I'd walk out of prison a free man in a few years time. However,I knew that more trouble lay ahead of me,because I hadn't chosen yet to remain non-violent at all costs. Bullies love to be bullies,and they always look for their next victim,and asshole correctional officers love to be asshole correctional officers. I snapped again,and attacked the aforementioned correctional officer who threatened and humiliated me too much for me to be able to peacefully withstand. That assault landed me back in court,charged with assault,for which I was destined to receive extra prison time to be served on top of my original 4 year sentence. In the meantime the prison system decided i should be transferred to the worst,most violent prison in Australia at that time. It was known as 'the killing fields',and prisoners who did time there were considered to have done a 'tour of duty'. Many murders,assaults,and rapes took place there not irregularly. I was 21. I continued to live by my 'minding my own business' way of life,except that didn't work. Many trips to the D.U. (detention unit,or the hole,as Americans call it) didnt dissuade me from acting out violently when I was faced with people being bullies or assholes. I decided to up the ante on the level of violence I was using in an effort to deter people from thinking I would be a fitting target of their constant desire to inflict pain on others. I'd recently sustained quite a beating from a black man who was an amateur kickboxing champion and that beating helped me to favour weapons over fists for any future altercations I was to have with bullies ands assholes. What I mean is,I decided I'd use any weapon available next time someone gave me grief,because I realized I wasn't large physically,nor was I trained in any form of martial-art,so no matter how hard I fought sometimes I stood little chance of coming out of an altercation unharmed. Not long after I turned 22 a black inmate,who hated me because he'd heard about my run-ins with black inmates,chose to attempt to intimidate me. I snapped. This time with serious consequences for him. Instead of fighting him I picked up a large pot full of boiling hot cooking oil and poured it over him,causing 3rd degree burns to %53 of his body,and requiring him to spend 3 months in intensive-care in hospital while undergoing skin-grafts and operations. He had to live in a specially designed body-suit for a year to help him recover from his injuries. I didn't sustain a single scratch,bruise,or injury. Hence,why I didn't use my fists on that occasion. I hoped people would get the fucking message and leave me the fuck alone! Then the prison system decided I was a security risk,and they promptly sent me to the M.S.U. (maximum security unit) where the most incorrigible of prisoners were domiciled. I spent a year in isolation,and in that time I read many books,wrote poetry,did paintings and drawings,did part of a university-entrance program,and learnt about Buddhism. I was very fortunate to live next to Australias most notorious armed-robber,who was a non-violent man with a good heart,and he did everything in his power to teach me that if I kept being violent I would end up killing an inmate and spend the rest of my life in prison,and that that was not a bright idea. He helped to save my life. He helped me to understand that I needed to be smarter,and to get the fuck out of jail,and stay out! Also,a Buddhist nun began regularly visiting me and her kindness and compassion helped me greatly. 2 years later,and a week after my original sentence of 4 years was finished,I was sentenced to serve a further 3 years prison. I did that 3 year's,without creating any further legal problems for myself,and I was rewarded with my freedom. I live an honest,crime and drug-free life. It seems that Tommy Silverstein chose to travel down the path leading to further imprisonment,murder,hell,misery,hate,and ultimately,never-ending imprisonment. He,like some Australian prisoners I met,and some members of the A.B.,end up becoming murderous monsters in prison systems which are designed to punish and destroy a person's soul. It is possible to change ones destiny,and to forge a better brighter future,except a person needs to know when to make the right choices,and I think Mr Silverstein was at the crossroads of his life when he was freed in his early twenties and he didn't take his chance to change his life at that time. He chose crime,and prison. Live by the sword die by the sword. Best wishes to all of you. Peace!

Crime and punishment is one thing, the use of the penal system manned by many who are worse than those they oversee, is another.

It's pretty clear Clutts abused his position and in any honest persons view, got what he deserved.

What's happened since has been nothing less than the cowardly abuse of this prisoner by people I personally don't think should be allowed out into our society, yet these are the kind of people we place our trust in to play a part in all prisoners rehabilitation.

Not only were there gang wars within the prisons, there was also the very same kind of war going on between the guards and the prisoners as well.

This kind of mentality, this desire to control and abuse, is the very behaviour that sends most prisoners to jail, yet they are then watched over by exactly the same level of mentality, very little as that is.

There has to be incarceration, but the torture has to stop.

Any troublesome prisoner can be isolated, but to do that to any human being for as long as this has been going on in this case, is beyond humanity, it's downright sick.

In 1971 a nineteen year old Silverstein entered San Quentin in the middle of what Edward Bunker called a “War Behind Walls” in his 1972 Harpers Magazine article. Here are two excerpts: “...they stabbed every white on the tier, all of whom wore white jumpsuits, for they had just gotten off bus and had no idea they would be attacked for being white. One died, and one vaulted the railing to avoid the stabbing blades broke both his angles on the concrete below….Men without friends, those trying to quietly serve a term and get out, were in the worst predicament. They had no allies. Warriors stayed together, knew many of their opposition, suspected others from hairstyle, mannerism, and association.”So maybe this atmosphere contributed to Silverstein joining the AB?Released four years later he is rearrested shortly thereafter for armed robbery along with his two crime partners, one of the two was his own father. The first murder Silverstein was accused of in prison was denied by him:On appeal a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit said it was appalled by the quagmire of conflicting testimony and recanted statements…The judges ordered federal prosecutors to either dismiss the murder charge against Silverstein or conduct a new trail.” There was no retrial.The environment at Marion when Silverstein arrived there:Between January 1980 and October 1983, there were more serious disturbances at Marion than at any other prison, including fourteen escape attempts, ten group uprisings, fifty-eight serious inmate-on-inmate assaults, thirty-three attacks on staff, and nine murders. Second murder trial, in which Silverstein also denied committing:When called to the stand to testify Norman Matthews… was asked whether he could remember November 22, 1981, he replied, "It was the day I killed Chappelle." Did the judge improperly exclude this testimony?The third murder is not denied by Silverstein but it was committed only after Smith had failed in two documented attempts to kill him.

(Smith had been a close friend of Chappelle’s and the leader of their prison gang. “Cadillac” Smith had been moved to a cell next to Silverstein from another institution after Chappelle's death in what appears to be a set up by the authorities involved.) Excerpts from Pete Early’s, book “Hot House”.“I tried to tell Cadillac that I didn’t kill Chappelle, but he didn’t believe me and bragged that he was going to kill me,” Silverstein recalled. “Everyone knew what was going on and no one did anything to keep us apart. The guards wanted one of us to kill the other.”Enter guard Clutts the fourth victim. In an audio recording of an interview conducted by Earley, Silverstein explains his motive:16:25 Silverstein: I think he was just selling me wolf tickets. But he didn't know I was taking him serious. AS MANY KILLINGS THAT I HAVE SEEN WHEN SOMEONE SAYS HE IS GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU CAN’T SIT BACK AND SAY AWE IT AIN’T NOTHING AND DO NOTHING. When somebody has gone that far especially when you’re telling him you don't want no trouble why don't you get off my case. You know, I PLEADED WITH THAT GUY…On Saturday morning October 22, 1983, Silverstein eliminated this perceived threat. In his recent apology to the world Silverstein wrote: “There is no justification for what I did.” But there is logic behind his actions, even if it is only understandable by other inmates that have also been trapped like tethered animals in a slaughter house!

It's difficult for me to comprehend the vengeful treatment of people, when the very reason such vengeance is being perpetrated, is allegedly for the very same behaviour of the prisoner?

Who on earth are the real monsters, the criminals or the self righteous so called law abiding hypocrites of our society?

I'm not a criminal, I've never been in prison, but I still feel very uncomfortable knowing such animals are free to roam about in our society.

I'm not talking about the prisoners, I'm talking about the sick people we employ to administer and look after the prisoners.

They're the same mentality as parents who believe they should be able to beat their children. To such people, violence is the only answer they're capable of in dealing with their problems.

It's more than possible to house a prisoner in a secure environment without resorting to the extremes of places described in this story.

One only has to read of the now thousands of wrongful convictions being discovered through the use of DNA, with hundreds of those wrongful convictions involving poor unfortunates on death row, to know our justice system is unsafe, to then accept our incarceration methods are far from acceptable.

I always try to put myself in the position of others before I OK any kind of treatment to another human being. I want prisons to be acceptable enough so as to always bear in mind, many people are truly innocent; it would be bad enough to be wrongfully incarcerated, without the cruelty of weak, sick, pathetic guards, in what can only be described as inhumane conditions.

These are my own personal thoughts and beliefs, I do not belong to any group, I'm just a person with a mind of my own, the courage of my convictions, and a good sense of fairness and decency.

Sadly I was forced to serve 7 years in the New York Prison System (Attica, Sing Sing, etc;) and I spent time in SHU (the box) and I know first hand how so called correctional officers abuse their power. It's like these guards don't get a grain of respect as a civilian , have women/wife problems, drinking, you name it and these guards bring their problems into the prison. The guards that run the box are the ones that can't work in the general population because they are too mean and because of their dirty deeds they did to inmates in the box, it's not safe for these guards to work in GP. So, they just keep these guards working the box.

A lot of these guards get off in giving inmates a hard time for no real reason at all, they withhold mail, they give very small portions of food, they turn off your water, they refuse you showers and if you complain they write you up so you end up doing more time in the box.

I was a victim of these type of guards and I was not a long term box inmate. But, all I could think about was getting even with my tormentors. I would envision driving up to the prison in a van and capture each guard that gave me a hard time and lock them up in a barn and treat them exactly they way they treated me...thinking these thoughts was the only way I could get through my box time.

Once I was released from the box, I asked one of the "good" guards what he would do to a man that beat and starved him if he caught him on the street and the guard said "I would kill him." So, if a guard says he would kill a man that beat and starved him, then of course inmates dream of doing the same thing. The only difference is most inmates will never get out of prison, so they get even in the prison walls. I believe that Tommy was given a very hard time by Clutts. Otherwise, Clutts would be alive. Common sense dictates this.

I asked a guard "on the street you would not be doing this to me or anyone else. So, why are you doing it now." Of course I never got an answer, the question did not need an answer.

The bottom line is 99% of prison guards are nothing but punks, they were the ones being picked on in school, etc;, they are not even real men. So, they get a shiny badge and act like they are somebody. The same goes for most cops. They are the true rats and snitches and will lie like a rug to cover their actions.

I feel bad for these inmates that are left at the mercy of small men, petty men...like the ones that work in prisons.

freshdave@verizon.net

We should be too busy to expend valuable time and resources on someonethat has ceased to be a recognizable human being.

tinyurl.com/2a7usxg

Everybody wonders how he survived, HE KILLED, like anyone would facing 195 years in prison would if they had to, screw it ya know. If you've never been tortured by a guard or another inmate, or even caged up for any length of time, your opinion on his moral fiber at this point is completely irrelevant to me.

Tommy Silverstein is a PhD candidate's dream.How does someone psychologically survive the isolation that he has been subjected to?There are so many questions that I would have for him.While my dissertation was not on criminals in isolation,but on serial rapists who evolve to killing their victims,this is,non the less a situation ripe for research.

well very interesting posting here. Life is really a great drama.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for this piece of excrement?The only mercy I would show is to the taxpayers - by executing him so we don't have to pay for his cage.

It goes without saying that people of this caliber should be treated exactly as Silverstein has been. His complaints about crappy art supplies fall on deaf ears as someone who probably paid a part of the bill. Think about the torment the families of his victims are subjected to especially corrections officer Merle Clutts who was simply making a living for the family. Isolation may be too good in my opinion.

And to Irene: I can only assume that you have never been dealt a tragic event imposed by another despicable person, if so you may rethink your positions on the death penalty. Eye for an Eye

It goes without saying that people of this caliber should be treated exactly as Silverstein has been. His complaints about crappy art supplies fall on deaf ears as someone who probably paid a part of the bill. Think about the torment the families of his victims are subjected to especially corrections officer Merle Clutts who was simply making a living for the family. Isolation may be too good in my opinion.

And to Irene: I can only assume that you have never been dealt a tragic event imposed by another despicable person, if so you may rethink your positions on the death penalty. Eye for an Eye

No where does this man show any remorse....he has wasted all those years feeling sorry for himself.....you do the crime you pay the time.......He could have accomplished so much,Overcome his past way of life, learned a lesson but he chose to sit and stew about the injustices done to him....many probably were.....but that does not give him the right to plan and execute a murder.....He lives by the prison code of conduct the AB code of conduct and never after all this time of showing no change will be fit to be let loose in society.......Keep your sympathy for the innocent...

B R B A

Jesse Pomeroy was in solitary confinement - literally, 24 hours a day - for 41 years. So Silverstein is a close second to the US-record.

No sympathy for any of these psychopathic losers in prison. Behave yourself and you won't wind up behind bars. It's not real hard. To the "wife" of the federal prisoner, your husband is a loser and a piece of human garbage. I hope he rots in jail for all of his days. BTW, what kind of a piece of crap are you that you would marry a sick, twisted, AB member? My guess is that you nothing more than uneducated, beer-swilling, trailer-dwelling, unwashed, white trash.

that is not very fair. he followed the rules give him a break.

*Just a side note for anyone curiose, AB(ARYAN BROTHERHOOD)are extremely violent and dangerous! Just thought I would clear that up, since "a wife" has been brain washed into thinking otherwise........."Can't we all just get along?":)

"a wife" like Jesse pointed out you have NO F*CKING CLUE!!! Your husband would NEVER "give his shirt of his back" for anyone other than white. I'm white and proud to say AB are just pieces of SH*T, with made up ideals, close minded! Your Father is a discrace to any proud department of corrections if he was EVER involved with such stupid acts as to bet and rile up the inmates.There is a reason why prisoners fight, its because they have no moral or ethical whits about them, they are void of any human ability to socialize and are exactly where they belong! (well not quit, they belong 6 feet under)

"a wife" commenter talks like a know-it-all just because her husband is in a federal institution. she doesn't know jack about what the guards do in the places silverstein was in; she's just guessing based on what her hubby has experienced. what gross and unsafe assumptions to think the guards are bored and start trouble with the inmates. as if their jobs aren't stressful enough having to work with people like these guys are, this woman thinks they are bored. just outrageous to hear people make wide generalizations like that.

i certainly don't believe these people should be kept alive. what a waste of money. i don't think anyone who commits crimes like these says "nah, on second thought, i could up in solitary for the rest of my life." just kill them with a bullet to the head and be done with it. it sounds more agonizing to have them alive in solitary, but it costs a fortune to play these mind games.

My husband is in a federal prison, and was housed in lev. and florence (not adx). Also he is a member of AB. These men are not bad people they are humans!! Have you ever heard the SAYING "CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE?" Well that is true but it ALSO goes for adults. People adapt to their surroundings and that is what these men in prison are doing. People on the outside dont know or realize how these HUMANS are treated by the guards daily day in day out! A person can only take so much degrading and abuse. The guards treat them as animals and like they are pieces of shit! The guards like to start problems between inmates for "something to do" and to give excitment to what they believe is a boaring job! I know this first hand as I am also a daughter of a prison guard (state). I grew up listening to my father telling stories of things the guards did and the problems it caused! THE GUARDS TAKE BETS ON THE OUTCOME RESULTS OF THEIR BULLSHIT THEY STIRED UP!!! Tom was just reacting!! What any human would do!! If the guards dont like the outcome result so be it, BUT they need to remember they caused the reaction, and now Tom is paying for their bullshit! Clutts treated him like shit, abused him, and started issues between races! HE KNEW WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE "DEATH"!! He just didnt think it would be him! The AB are NOT bad men nor are they dangerous! They have beliefs in their gods just like any christian does, but if provoked they will strongly stand up for themselves and what they believe in! My husband is very good dad! He is extremely loving and attentive to our children and myself! And aso to strangers for that matter, he would give the shirt off his back to help someone or give his last dollar to help feed someone. HE IS AB NOW IMAGINE THAT!! They are NOT bad men only have different beliefs than others! But like any man he would defend himself like Tommy did, and probley do the same. Dont judge him unless you've been in his shoes, or know how Clutts treated or abused him! FOR EVERY ACTION THERE IS A REACTION! He deserved what he got, and now he can no longer abuse anyone else! Its just sad Tommy has to pay for Clutts games! So before anyone judges him know only a HIGHER POWER IS ABLE TO MAKE JUDGEMENT! iF THE GUARDS treated inmates with the respect that any and all people deserve no matter what they've done things like this wouldnt happen! If you beat a dog day in and day out, and mentaly abuse him isn't it comon knowledge that he will someday turn on you? Everyone has rights!!!!!

No sympathy for Silverstein, who seems to turn from a murderer into a whiner. Let's hope other potential criminals read this article. You think that ordinary prisons are a joke? Capital punishment not enough of a deterrent? Well, if perpetual solitary confinement does not scare you and you're still inclined to do the crime, then be prepared to do the time. And stop whining.

I think Silverstein is right where he belongs. This kind of life is hell and its what he deserves. How often have we said LOCK THEM UP AND THROW AWAY THE KEY? This is exactally what is being done!!

To be used for body parts, and grease only!

Interesting post and enjoyable also...Looking forward for your next article.

I'm only sorry for the resources we have to invest to keep him exactly where he needs to be. I wish we could put them toward more life-affirming enterprises, toward education, to bring up children who will contribute to making our world a better place.

This man is obviously intelligent. At many points in his life, even after he was incarcerated, he could have made a choice to become a positive asset to his community. He started life with the same potential as all of us, and many more advantages than some of us, but he never did one single act in his life to benefit anyone except himself. Never a thought for the world around him, whether his immediate family, or friends, or community, or the greater world. He still thinks of nothing and no one but himself, feeling sorry only for himself. He has accomplished nothing, achieved nothing, his legacy will be nothing but wreaking havoc and ruining lives because of personal vendettas. A total waste of a life. He tries to pass himself off as a genial, "hail fellow well met"-type who has forgiven the wrong done against him? Shame on him. He is exactly where he belongs. Somewhere where he can't influence weaker individuals who may believe that such toxic selfishness is acceptable.

Awesome post.enjoyed reading.Good work done,like to read more from your side.

Wonderful post."The Caged Life"-very interesting.

a good work thanx for the blog

I'm glad they arrested this guy, he seems like a lunatic...especially judging from his picture.

The Caged Life-Interesting article.Telling about the one that killed six people and injured a thousand.Nice post..

Irene your comment is ignorant....you really want the people of those prisons walking your street! raping your grandchildren! selling drugs to them, killing your kids! your neighbors! Theses monsters dont deserve yours or anybodies pitty the INSANE thing is that they are allowed to have our money wasted on them to breath another day! BANG! one to the brain pan!

Bullets dont cost that much money just kill him, he has repeatedly taken lives with no remorse.....do away with him!!

Wonderful post... Very informational and educational as usual but disturbing just like Irene pointed out.

Oh, boo hoo, cry me a river!

The author doesn't get it.

He weaves a tale, honestly told, of a man who's crimes have led him to isolation notable even among inmates and officials. It becomes clear to any reader that Silverstein has suffered for his crimes and continues to do so every moment of every day. The author repeatedly, sneeringly cites the single-mindedness of BOP officials whose sole response regarding Silverstein's conditions is that Clutts, the murdered guard, is dead.

Thanks goes to the author for a deeply engaging narrative, but he must remember without sarcasm, that Clutts is dead.

set him freehe have served his time now. he have been in prison very long time now. it is time to give him his life back.if it was in sweden, he would have a better life in prison.in usa they treat the prisoners like shit.

How can an inmate not demonstrate "good behavior" if he's locked up in solitary 24 hr/day?

It is not cruel or harsh. The man had a chance and ended up killing and ADDITIONAL 3 people! How is it "good behavior" if he is by himself??? If he was with a black or asian or jewish man, would he act "good" would he just sit quietly and draw with them...NO. If you believe otherwise, you should be in there with him! I work at a correctional facility and the number of "hard to place" administrative segregation inmates is on the rise. There is no way to separate these criminals from people who "just made a bad decision" or from the rest of the world without doing just that. These "people" steal from other inmates, assault, make weapons, or generally just cause themselves to be a disturbance EVERY DAY! Call that good behavior? Should we reward them every time and keep putting them back into general population just to move them within one day of them being back (sometimes it's within hours!)!? Give me a break. They should have just given him the death penalty and saved millions on him and the rest of them in ADX, as well as the building. Guilty means guilty!

You have to be kidding me. We're supposed to take pity on this man becasue

"he's only permitted pastels, colored pencils and "cheap-ass paper," he reports; consequently, he hasn't drawn a lick since he's been there."

I'm sorry. Being kept in isolation for decades may be extreme and cruel, but he complains his rights are violated because he's only given pastels and 'cheap ass paper'? All credibility was lost for me at that point.

Yes, he did make that wall within a wall all on his own. I worked for the BOP for one year in the late 1970's; It was not a 'vengeful public' that caused his plight; he is a murderer and physchopath who will certainly kill again, and will have plenty of 'excuses' for his decision to kill.

I found the article on Silverstein very disturbing. There is something wrong with this country's justice system that allows ADMAX prisons and the death penalty to exist.

It is INSANE to lock prisoners in cells 23 hours a day without communication. The entire ADMAX facilities in this country should be abolished immediately. It is a GROSS waste of taxpayers money to keep these places open.