Glenn Langohr's Blog, page 5
January 15, 2020
Final Bible Study on Corinthians & Apocrapha & Letter
January 11, 2020
January 4, 2020
Let's explore "WORD CURSES" & "SPIRIT OF LEGALISM" By measuring it again...
January 2, 2020
December 28, 2019
December 26, 2019
December 22, 2019
December 21, 2019
November 27, 2014
Former Prisoner, Best Selling Author Glenn Langohr, Reviews Former Prison Guard D.J. Vodicka's Book, The Green Wall
As a former inmate who spent over 10 years inside some of the most violent California prisons on drug charges, I took on D.J.'s book to read and review. As an author myself who started writing to shed some light into the darkness that is California's out of control prison system, my curiosity to see a Former Prison Guard's perception was peaked. It is a penetrating look and historic book that should be required reading in colleges in regards to Crime and Punishment, Criminology, Gangs and Prison culture. It is also an intense read and highly entertaining. The Story follows D.J. Vodicka into the prison system as a guard and in his own words, a new "Fish", as he made his way adapting to one of the highest security prisons in the state, Corcoran. From there he went to the notorious Pelican Bay State Prison. D.J. rose to the challenge and had a mentor, Mr. Reynoso, who helped him. At Pelican Bay D.J. was a first responder to a Mexican Mafia hit where a drop out (Informant against the mob) got a piece of steel in his neck and later died. D.J. witnessed other intense riots, stabbings and constant violence, and maintained his dignity and honor throughout. Once transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison, next to Soledad, D.J. was a veteran prison guard who had worked the highest levels of security and should have had a position of leadership. Instead, the new prison seemed to have a collection of non veteran prison guards who were easily influenced by the violence and heavy gang life of lifers on the yard. A riot exploded. But this one was against the prison guards over a beef that might have been from excessive force, or just a gang flexing muscle. The Mexicans attacked the guards and D.J. was there to help investigate the incident. At this point in the story, D.J. stands up and maintains his integrity by writing accurate reports and taking pictures of injured inmates. The guards seemed to emulate the gangs and create one of their own that went by G.W. They started acting like gang bangers and flashed sign language just like the gang banger prisoners the guards were in charge of securing. D.J. reported it when asked to. At that point, the prison guards who had clicked up in this Green Wall subculture/gang created a "Code of Silence" to look the other way when it came to violence and intimidation manuavers against the inmates. This gained momentum and became more criminal in regards to falsifying reports, planting weapons and possibly/allegedly more of the same or worse. And standing in the way of this tsunami was D.J. Vodicka. Who continued to maintain his ethics and accurately report and follow instructions against this building subculture amongst the guards at Salinas Valley. Now, from the highest levels, D.J.'s reports were leaked on purpose and he became an absolute target. He continued to stand tall all the way to the end. Read this book to understand just how far this went. My takeaways as a former inmate. While locked up at Chino Central in the notorious Sycamore Hall, nicknamed "Stick-A-More Hall" for all the stabbings, a prison guard brought an Aryan Brotherhood drawing "Calling Card" that was an image of dice,a naked female and the numbers 666 all ghosted together. The prison guard asked me if it was mine as he found it on the floor just outside of my cell. Had I said yes, It was my trip to Palm Hall and Pelican Bay. This relates to D.J.'s book in a couple of ways. It is evidence of the subculture of guards who cross the line and work for the gangs and/or become one themselves, and it relates to the Green Wall's Prison Guard gang who used a similar art piece to represent their gang with 666 and the dice. Also while doing time at Centinella State prison on D yard while I was a shot caller, we had a guard who gave us an inmate's paperwork that proved that inmate was a notorious child molester with 44 counts of ANNLY/MOLEST. That guard was helping us handle vigilante justice. I wrote about it in my book, " The Art of War: A Memoir of Life in Prison with Mafia, Serial Killers and Sex Offenders Who Get Stabbed" This also relates to what D.J. says was going on at Salinas Valley Prison. Another takeaway: D.J. and I both share a perspective on the root problem with California's out of control prison system. It stopped being a place of rehabilitation in the 1980's when the population quickly exploded and rose up to 700%. The Drug War and tough on crime politics turned it into a send everyone to prison deal that made prisons warehouses for violence and gang indoctrination. As a result of this, prison guards are just as affected by this militant, always violent, racial segregated fight for every piece of space, highly secretive, constant cat and mouse game of violence and "organized hits" that are prison life. Does this sound like rehabilitation? Obviously not. The prison guards are affected by living in this culture and D.J.'s book shows how the two cultures blend together until lines are crossed and blurred. My hat is off to D.J. for standing tall and documenting it.PR Newswire articles
October 3, 2014
What Famous Addicts Have to Say About Addiction
Celebrities make drug use seem fun and glamorous. It seems as though they never pay any consequences for indulging in substance abuse. In fact, they are socially rewarded for flouting their illegal behavior. Celebrities who have decided to heal themselves and seek treatment often have insightful things to say about the nature of addiction and what drives people to become frequent users.
Dark HumorEven funny quotes about drug use have some underlying fatalism. Robin Williams' troubles are currently part of the public discourse, so it comes as no surprise that he once said, "Cocaine is God's way of saying you're making too much money." It is an undeniable fact that heavy drug users eventually stop caring about how munch money they waste on drugs. David Lee Roth agreed on that count. He said, "I used to have a drug problem. Now I make enough money." Some addicts believe that their drug use is not problematic as long as they can comfortably afford to feed their habits.
The Seedy Underbelly of Rock and RollLou Reed had a similar way of hiding sad truths in dry humor. He said, "I tried to give up drugs by drinking," which illustrates the way addicts tend to trade one substance for another. They tell themselves that switching to legal substances means that their addictive natures are less extreme than they used to be. Sadly, this is usually not the case.
Frank Zappa was no stranger to drugs; his music sprang out of a subculture that extolled drug use as a way of tapping into a higher form of consciousness. After spending several years socializing with addicts, the allure wore off for Frank. He stated bleakly, "Ever try to have a conversation with someone on drugs? It just doesn’t work."
John Lennon took a more philosophical approach to this subject. "The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we need these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?" For some people, there is no concrete answer for why they are drawn to drugs. They simply find the pressures of day-to-day life to be too hard for them to handle. Lennon spoke from experience. He also said, "The worst drugs are as bad as anybody's told you.”
The EstablishmentRonald Reagan's famous anti-drug campaign illustrated the schism between the establishment and real people. "Let us not forget who we are. Drug abuse is a repudiation of everything America is." No one disputes the fact that drugs are bad, but the way the law punishes non-violent addicts prevents many from seeking the help they need.
Literary MusingsWilliam Wordsworth had a perception of drugs that seems almost modern, given how little was known about addiction during his lifetime. He said, "The human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross and violent stimulants, and he must have a very faint perception of its beauty and dignity who does not know this." He believed that to abstain from drugs was to honor oneself. Emerson also had a nuanced understanding of the nature of addiction. "Tobacco and opium have broad backs, and will cheerfully carry the load of armies, if you choose to make them pay high for such joy as they give and such harm as they do."
Oliver Goldsmith's sadly humorous missive about addiction sums up the cycle perfectly: "Thou source of all my bliss and all my woe, that found me poor at first, and keep me so." People chase the high even though they know they will feel terrible in the aftermath.
William S. Burroughs is one of the most famous heroin users of the last century. Even though he struggled within the drug's grasp, he understood what it was doing to him. "Junk is the ideal product...the ultimate merchandise. No sales talk necessary. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy."
These quotes illustrate the pain that drugs cause despite the perceived romance of fading into oblivion. A drug rehab inpatient program in Utah can help pull addicts out of deep addictions and give them the resources they need to stay drug-free for life.
PR Newswire articles
