fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Reactive Stream Specifications
By: Kathiriya Niket
Tags: Reactor Project, Reactive Programming, Spring Boot, Reactor, Reactive Streams

The reactive streams ( event/message stream discussed in the previous post ) have to follow some rules. These rules are known as “Reactive Stream Specification”.

The GitHub Repo explaining these is at: https://github.com/reactive-streams/reactive-streams-jvm

The rules mention 4 interfaces that communicate with each other for the flow of reactive streams:

Publisher Subscriber Subscription Processor

Let’s look at each one in detail.

Publisher

public interface Publisher<T> {

public void subscribe(Subscriber<? super T> s);

}

The Publisher interface only has one method subscribe that takes the instance of the Subscriber as a parameter. Subscriber object will call this method with its own reference, passed as a parameter.

An implementation of the Publisher interface acts as the data source.

Subscriber

public interface Subscriber<T> {

public void onSubscribe(Subscription s);

public void onNext(T t);

public void onError(Throwable t);

public void onComplete();

}

An implementation of the Subscriber interface acts as the data receiver.

The Subscriber interface has four methods. All will be called by Publisher instance, as per the below mentioned scenarios:

onSubscribe method is called when the ‘subscribe’ method of Publisher is successfully completed. Publisher will pass the instance of the Subscription object as a parameter. onNext method is called each time the Publisher wants to send data to the Subscriber. The data is passed as a parameter. onError method is called when Publisher comes across any error while preparing/sending the response. The Throwable instance is passed as an argument. onComplete method is called on successful completion of the request by Publisher.

Subscription

public interface Subscription {

public void request(long n);

public void cancel();

}

Subscription implementation is used to request data from Publisher or cancel a request.

It has two methods, All called by Subscriber instance:

request method is called to request data from Publisher. The number of data bundles that can be processed by the Subscriber is passed as an argument. Successful execution of this method will trigger ’n’ consecutive onNext() events by Publisher. cancel method is called to prematurely stop the flow of onNext(). It can be useful in case of memory or time overflow.

Processor

public interface Processor<T, R> extends Subscriber<T>, Publisher<R> {

}

The Processor interface is the combination of both Publisher and Subscriber interfaces. i.e, It has the methods of both interfaces.

Publisher — Subscriber event flow:
Spring boot como serviço no linux
By: Erick De Miranda Oliveira
Tags: Java, Spring Boot, Linux, Systemd, Dev

Understanding and Using Systemd - Linux.com

Like it or not, systemd is here to stay, so we might as well know what to do with it. systemd is controversial for…
Billing System using Spring Boot. Code walkthrough and Tax Table CRUD Operation
Tags: Billing System, Spring Boot, Billing System Itgarden, Spring Framework

Tax table integration

Welcome back friends, In this story, we will going to learn about the implementation of Tax, offer, and Category CRUD Operation. CRUD nothing but Create, Read, Update, and Delete operation. We will be going to perform these operations against these tables. Tax offer and category tables are important tables in the billing System. Let explore the table and its CRUD operation.

Tax Table

The tax table contains the HSN Code for various types of Products. each code mapped with Tax percentage. Following is the Table relation between Product and Tax table

The tax_id is associated with each product. Each tax_id is mapped with one HSN Code. The HSN code is having its respective GST percentage. Through this relation, we can easily find out what is the GST of each Product in our System.

I have created the following class for manipulating Tax CRUD operation.

TaxController.java

TaxService.java

TaxRepository.java

Tax.java

Taxinfo.java

TaxRepository.java

This is an interface class and currently, it doesn’t have any method. I can use its inbuild method for CRUD Operation.

For further reading click the below link:

Tax Table integration in Billing System
Dynamic query with Spring Data JPA and Search by Example of
By: Naveen Kumar M N
Tags: MySQL, Hibernate, Spring Boot, Jpa, Dynamic Query

Search all around!

The Problem 😠

The problem was simple, the query to the database should be based on the values supplied from the front-end. Sometimes the user would select or enter all the values or it is search based on certain values. Child’s play right 😎. Then without second thought created a repository and was stuck when its time to type in the query method. Wait what how would write the query methods.

I know i was doomed when the google forced me to head to the 2nd page of its search results 😯 and criteria api was the appropriate solution. It would do wonders for small set of vales to be queried on.

Checkout the complete code @ GitHub 💻

The Situation 😕

Lets consider a car catalog database with Make, Model and year of release.

So implementing criteria api will be easy with with few CriteriaObjects methods and done!, add!, commit!, push!. Ready for prod ⏳.

Lets spice it up, the POJO is added with some more properties lets say Horse Power, Turning Radius and lot more stuff which are to stored in database and we are again making up the changes with CriteriaObjects and its results in cycle for every new change.

To the rescue 👍

Here comes Query by Example to save us. It allows dynamic query building at runtime without specifying query fields. Just pass in the POJO, let JpaRepository handle it for you and problem solved.

Example.of also takes an matcher object where in we can specify to which columns we can ignore the case and search.

Time to Search ⏰

Let say we wanna search all the cars from the year 2015, all we have to do is pass the json with parameters.

Next search is by make and year

Limitations 🔐

We cannot query for conditions like between two ranges, example car make year between years 2010 to 2020.

Reference and Documentations 📕
How to Use Docker and Docker-Compose for MySql, PhpMyAdmin, Spring Boot, Angular Stack CRUD Web Application Development
By: Kadir Emre Ozcan
Tags: Spring Boot, Angular, Docker Compose, Docker, Web Development

Spring Boot “Hello World!”

Separating project into sub-packages is one of the common approaches so this will be our final our file structure

but for now, the following one is enough,

🧠Note: We changed the location of CrudApplication.java so we should say Spring where it should scan for components for proper creation of beans. We are going to add more annotation here in the future.

@SpringBootApplication

//the following line has been added

@ComponentScan("com.example.crudapplication")

public class CrudApplication {



public static void main(String[] args) {

SpringApplication.run(CrudApplication.class, args);

}



}

And I create the QuoteController

@RestController

@RequestMapping("api/v1")

public class QuoteController {



@GetMapping

public String helloWorld(){

return "Hello World!";

}

}

Creating Application REST API Endpoints

Tips for Lombok users: If you are using Lombok as I am, there is a nice touch that you can use with @Autowired. I used to use the constructor approach at Dependency Injection so my code looks like this

but now, I use Lombok @AllArgsConstructor and my code looks like this

it is helpful especially if there are lots of dependencies 😍

REST APIs

GET api/v1/quotes → to retrieve all quotes

GET api/v1/quotes/:id → to retrive single quoteById

POST api/v1/quotes → to save a quote

PUT api/v1/quotes/:id → to update a quote

DELETE api/v1/quotes/:id → to delete a quote

As you see it is a common rest endpoint pattern and there are things we can tweak more but I am not.

Creating a MySql Container

We are going to use the following MySql Docker image.
Migrating from Spring Boot to Quarkus + Graalvm
By: Nguni Phakela
Tags: Spring Framework, Microservices, Spring Boot, Java

Migrating from Spring Boot to Quarkus + Graalvm

Lately, I have been messing with quarkus, as I make the migration from traditional spring boot. I used spring since the days of hibernate and xml config and bean injection. It has since evolved, and currently spring boot with its auto configurations design, yaml configurations seems to reign supreme. Adding this spring boot jar microservice into a docker image and running it in a cluster looked like the second coming of Aliens, if ever there was a first. But I digress.

Currently for each of our microservices, we are using ~250MB RAM minimum. Run 10 or so and you already at 2–3GB ram minimum, and once you start to scale up and run multiple instances of your microservices, you can see the growth in infrastructure requirements.

Enter Quarkus, and Graalvm! Outside of quarkus being a polyglot, the efficiency and speed rewards are nothing short of amazing. With ~5X-10X less memory footprint, which translates to having a microservice using about 20MB of RAM instead of 250MB, the efficiency is through the roof. Our microservices take anywhere from 15–30s to start up. With quarkus + graalvm we have experienced startups of ~0.02s!!!! If this is heaven, well, please tell me where I am because I feel I am almost there.

Please do yourself a favor and experiment with this, and start migrating your spring boot applications. You will thank me later. 😁
The Ameelio Gift Shop
Tags: Tech, Prison, Apps, Family, Gift Shop

While scrolling through the Ameelio app, you may have noticed you can now send your loved ones special packets of games and recipes.

These options are part of our new gift shop that also includes news articles, song lyrics, short stories and more.

Some of the new items are free — just like the photos, letters and postcards you’ve been sending. There are also premium options like large postcards, longer stories and larger game packets that can be purchased with tokens of gratitude, our in-app currency. All users are automatically granted 10 tokens when they set up an account, enough to send one large postcard.

We expect to provide free communication tools to half a million people by the end of next year. Our gift shop and tokens are the best way to sustain our services as we continue to grow and develop the app.

With your gift shop contributions, more loved ones than ever will create memories through Ameelio.

We are incredibly grateful for our users’ support on this journey to provide free services to as many people impacted by mass incarceration as possible.

We look forward to continuing to serve you next year as part of the Ameelio community!
Crime down, spending on prisons up in Connecticut
By: Tom Hopkins
Tags: Prison, Journalism, Investigation

Despite the number of inmates in Connecticut prisons having steadily dropped since 2008 — now at its lowest point in 30 years — the state’s budget for the Department of Correction (DOC) continues to rise, seeing an almost 11 percent increase since last year, according to the state’s open checkbook website.

The United States as a whole spends billions of dollars every year on incarceration — an estimated $182 billion, according to a report by the Prison Policy Initiative.

Connecticut is ninth in the country in corrections spending per capita, according to data gathered through public records.

This spending is statistically disproportionate to key measurements of crime in the state, such as crime rate, total arrests, and incarceration rate. Both the crime rate and total arrests in Connecticut have dropped 33 percent from 2008 to 2018, according to annual crime reports conducted by the state.

Connecticut also has the 20th lowest corrections population — which includes community inmates such as parolees and people on probation — in the country. The state also has the 21st lowest incarceration rate, that is, the number of people imprisoned per 100,000 people, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The state’s budget for the DOC has remained relatively steady since 2008, aside from two notable spikes.

The first was in 2012 when the budget saw a 21 percent increase from 2011, a difference of about $142.5 million. The second spike was this year when the budget increased by nearly 11 percent, or about $80.5 million. Overall, the budget for the DOC has ballooned by $165 million since 2008.

Oddly enough, these major increases seemingly do not correlate with the crime rate, the number of total arrests, or even how many inmates are in state prisons.

You would think 2011 was absolute bedlam to justify a 21 percent increase in spending on corrections in 2012, but total arrests actually dropped by 4,397 arrests between 2011 and 2012. The crime rate remained virtually unchanged with a 0.22 percent decrease.

There hasn’t been a year since 2008 where the crime rate index — which tracks murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft — hasn’t been lower than the previous year.

Connecticut’s crime index rate is also well below the national rate. Total arrests have steadily dropped within that same span, besides for very slight upticks in 2016 and 2017 (less than a percent each year) before dropping 3.5 percent in 2018.
They asked why, and my reply caught them off guard; the agents did not expect an honest answer or…
By: Greg Prince
Tags: This Happened To Me, Personal Growth, Short Form, Prison, Self

They asked why, and my reply caught them off guard; the agents did not expect an honest answer or one with such abandon or indifference. I didn’t care. That moment felt like the only celebrity I would ever have.

“I did it for fun and excitement.”

Their faces betrayed a puzzled shock. The FBI agents stared at me and smiled. After they loosened the handcuffs, I relaxed, and we sat together at a small table; the officer's interrogation became more of a fun interview. I had nothing to lose or holdback.

“Nobody robs a bank because they’re bored,” the federal cop said.

“I did. I need to do things big, and the extra money would have been nice. I got away, but I freaked out and left my safe spot or you wouldn’t have me now.”

My fun cost me 12 1/2 years in Federal Prison, lots of fun indeed.
Man Who Pretended To Be Missing Child is sentenced to Prison.
By: Taban Aman
Tags: Prison, Identity Theft

Stacey Wescott / Tribune News Service via Getty Images

A man from Ohio had pretended to be missing Timmothy Pitzen, a child who has gone missing in the year 2011. He was sentenced to two years in prison for identity theft.

Brian Rini, the twenty-four-year-old man who will be in Prison for two years, was sentenced by a federal judge, after pleading guilty.

Brian told some investigators from Kentucky in 2019 that he was Timmothy Pitzen. He stated that he was running away from two kidnappers and that he has been abused. He said he was having abdominal pain, too.

After taking a DNA test, the authorities told him his DNA didn’t match any of the Pitzen family members. They had access to Brian’s DNA since he has been to jail before.

Timmothy Pitzen was last seen at a water park in Aurora, Illinois. Later after being sentenced, Brian later apologized to the Pitzen family. He said, “ I’m sorry to the family.”
The Rikers Island Experience
By: William, Dollar Bill
Tags: Incareceration, Rikers Island, Culture, Prison, Memoir

The Rikers Island Experience

Photo by Craig Lloyd from Pexels

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like for an educated, white-collar offender to go to a city jail full of drug addicts and muggers?

Do you like to watch those TV shows which peel back the layers of jail and prison life?

Are you one of those guys (like me) who’s watched “Shawshank” ten times?

Well then, this one’s for you.

I spent two weeks in New York City’s infamous jail. And that was after serving a year at a federal prison where I had PAUL MANAFORT as my celly, and was paid 40 cents an hour to watch over JEFFREY EPSTEIN one-on-one for hours at a time before he killed himself (and yes, he did kill himself).

Sit back and enjoy a vicarious thrill. Reading about incarceration is much more fun than actually being locked up. That, I can assure you!
My First Christmas in Prison
By: Hugh Yonn
Tags: Prison, Christmas, Salvation Army, True Story

My First Christmas in Prison

by Hugh Yonn

Prison is a good place to avoid.

It was Christmas Eve. The first of five to be spent in my new domicile, United States Federal Prison.

I was in a ‘transitional cell block’, an area for prisoners being moved to other locations. The final stop…the ‘designated facility’…the ‘Big House’.

There were ten cells holding one man each. All the cells faced a blank concrete block wall.

The cells were arranged to allow no contact among the inhabitants. The only sight, the wall directly across a narrow hallway.

On this Christmas Eve, all was quiet.

But on this night, as I lay on my bunk thinking of family and friends, I heard the faint sound of tinkling bells.

It became just a little louder. And stopped.

I thought I heard a very soft voice. A female voice.

I knew that could not be. I was in a maximum security holding area. The only folks who moved about in there were guards. And they were seen only at chow and shower time.

The tinkling of bells came closer. I distinctly heard a very soft, “Merry Christmas.”

I moved from my bunk to the bars that formed the front of my cell. I tried to position my head so that I may be able to see down the cell block.

That did not work. This place had been designed to eliminate contact between ‘detainees’.

Then, moving in front of my cell was a laundry hamper on wheels, being pushed by a guard. More than that — there were three guards. And on the other side of the hamper was a little, tiny lady in a white nurse’s uniform. On her head, a small red cap.

In her left hand was a brass bell. She rang it quietly and said, “Merry Christmas.”

I will never forget her. Never.

The Christmas Lady.

She leaned into the hamper and came up with a small paper bag. She passed it to me through the bars.

“Thank you,” I said. “And Merry Christmas to you.”

She gave me a smile and turned to continue past my cell. The guards looked in and nodded.

I was stunned.

They moved out of sight. But, I could still hear the very faint sound of the bell.

I sat down on my bunk. I stared at the small brown paper bag. It was closed at the top with a single fold and a piece of tape.

Merry Christmas.

Damn. That brought a tear to my eye.

I have never claimed to be a desperado. My offense was for marijuana. I’m as harmless as a Beagle puppy.

I opened the bag and poured its contents onto my bunk: one Band-Aid, one pair of finger nail clippers, one plastic comb, one small package containing two aspirins, and one orange.

The items may have well been made of solid gold. They were that dear to me.

No. That’s not true.

They were beyond that — way beyond.

A few moments later, the procession led by ‘The Christmas Lady’ and her bell, passed on their way out. I heard other lads in the adjoining cells calling out, “Merry Christmas.” I did the same.

I heard the door at the end of the cell block close and its electric lock slam home.

After a few moments, a voice called out, “Hey, anybody in here ever smoked aspirin?”

The Spirit was among us.
The Radio in My Head
By: Precious Soma
Tags: Prison, Entertainment, Incarcerated Women, Incarceration

How prison entertainment works.

In prison, entertainment is limited. As my lawyer said to me, “None of these people are your friends.” So it is best to stay as private and separate as you can.

When you are able to fully immerse yourself in a good book, reading works. Earplugs help.

There are TVs. They are in the community room. This is the only place in the living unit where you can sit, work or eat at a table…if one is available (AND if you are up for drama in that enclosed space where there are only three card tables for 184 inmates.)

So, how do we watch TV in prison?

There are three TVs mounted on one side of the room up at the top of the wall. Each week, inmates manage a requesting and voting system for what they would like to see programmed on each of the different TVs. One TV is generally reserved for Spanish language programming. The others are up for grabs.

Seeing the TV is easy — just go in the room when it’s open (occasionally the guards lock it to punish bad behaviors,) take a chair from the stack of plastic chairs by the wall, and settle in as best you can. The room is open daily and locked at night during quiet time.

Hearing the TV is another matter —three TVs, all tuned to different programs, would be a cacophony in the small enclosed cinderblock and glass room. Thus in order to hear a TV you must own a prison issue radio or MP3 player and tune it to the station that the TV is broadcast on in the prison radio network. The challenge here is that a prison issue radio costs $49 at commissary. That’s a lot of money when you consider that the basic “maintenance” wage one might earn here is $5.45 per month. If you can borrow a radio (or an MP3 player which cost $98 at the commissary!) then you can both see and hear the TV.

However — it is against the rules to have another inmate’s radio or MP3 player in your possession— you must always be able to provide a receipt for your possessions thereby proving what you have is truly your own. So, it is a risk, albeit a small one.

I mostly opted out of watching TV and occasionally borrowed a radio or MP3 player if there was something I really wanted to watch. I remember watching the Stanley Cup Finals with a few like-minded hockey fans in my unit. Marge, an elderly lady who helped me adjust upon my arrival, was a DC fan and her Bunkie (AKA cell mate) let me use her radio. The opposing team was Las Vegas. There was a nice even mix of fans for both sides and I rooted for Marge’s team as my Detroit Red Wings had not made the cut.

But what to do if I want to listen to a song and I don’t own a radio?

My solution: request song lyrics from my family and friends which they would then find and send to me via email (email costs money). I print those (printing costs money), cut them out (scissors cost money) and tape them (reused off the mail I receive) in my journal. So when I want to hear a song, for example “Jane Says” by Jane’s Addiction, I just turn to those lyrics and play the song on the radio in my head.

Simple, and much cheaper than a $49 radio that only works if you are in prison.
The only person we can count on in our darkest moments.
By: Anthony A.
Tags: Self Improvement, Resilience, Life Lessons, Prison, Self

”I hereby order you to serve 120 months in a federal prison,” echoed the judge’s voice. At least, that’s what I thought when reading her lips.

My mother’s crying drowned out all other sound.

This was that rock bottom moment. The next decade would be filled with a darkness that transforms even the best people into monsters, and with a hope that someone would pull me out of this situation.

I wanted my family to make my mistakes go away. I wanted God to pull me out of the depths of the hell. I wanted my friends to give me their full support.

And everything I wanted, came true. But it was not enough.

Because none of their help would ever mean anything unless I learned to count on one person first — me.

It was during this dreary and dark times that I realized that no matter how much support I have around me, the only person who can lift me out of a bad situation, a terrible funk, or even a bad mood is me.

Help means nothing unless I am willing to do something about my situation.

Throughout my years of incarceration, I witnessed thousands of people receive tons of love from family members, support from friends, and comfort from God. Yet, a majority of them failed to escape their darkest moment.

The common denominator? They wanted someone else to pull them out of their situation.

Learning this lesson from surrounding peers, I vowed to never fall into the same trap. Regardless of how supportive and comforting the people were in my life, self-sufficiency was the number one priority.

Setting goals, and problem solving on how to achieve them despite the circumstances, became the go-to strategy for everything. Counting on help came second.

Despite hitting rock bottom, I earned a bachelors and MBA, educated thousands of people as a Toastmasters’ Club President, and mentored hundreds of at-risk youth. The help of others in these ventures were invaluable. Yet, none of these achievements would have been possible if I didn’t learn how to rely on myself.



Today, I sit at home typing this article on my laptop because of this difficult lesson learned — the only person we can count on in our darkest moments is ourselves.
Living Fight Release
By: Greg Prince
Tags: This Happened To Me, Life Lessons, Prison, Mindset, Poetry

This Happened To Me

Living Fight Release

When he hit me in the face, I smiled.

When he hit me again, I felt,

The numbness went astray; we were real.

Didn’t take the hurt, it sank deep;

I wanted to feel it again.

He was fast, his hands flew true,

Broke my nose, eyes, and cheeks black and blue.

The steel and concrete cells couldn’t take the glory.

I let him hit me again; I wasn’t sorry.

He tired, his hands dropped slow.

I grabbed his neck in a clutch,

He dropped on the walk, but I didn’t let loose.

Let him feel, let him know;

The cells couldn’t keep us inside.

Guards didn’t see our meditation, our fight;

My choke into his pride.

He broke on the pitch without reply,

We fled and the hacks couldn’t find us.

But a snitch sang the story of our glory.

Three weeks in the hole, a vacation.

Hardened, we thrived, growing stronger.

In the pod shook hands with a grin;

Angry animals ready to fight again,

To feel our way out.

The flash, a glimpse of the real,

Spilled blood orgasmic shock we could feel.

Chains and steel locked us in a cold hold;

But for a moment, our spirits flew to heights, dice rolled.
View from a cell; mind locked in a spiral the first night, never stopping.
By: Greg Prince
Tags: Creative Writing, This Happened To Me, Prison, Mindset, Poetry

View from a cell; mind locked in a spiral the first night, never stopping.

Standing in this concrete

The ice is moving in

Cold through the floor, a warning

Eyes around me searching

No answers, no friends,

We’re waiting, begging for an egg

Desperate closing walls

Might call our name,

We sit in proud shame.

There’s a toilet attached to the sink

No one looks but we all see

Time to be humble, lost

No coming back from this disease

It’s in us now,

Underneath.

Take my things

Because I’m worthless,

But you can’t have inside of me,

Take my smile

Because I’m dirt,

But you can’t have my belief.

Steel and concrete to keep me out

But I look until I see the end,

New beginnings sprouting and blooming

Many never comprehend,

All these years down

Bars and chains,

Alone with eyes all around,

The concrete is my friend.
A Two Hour Tour of Prison
By: William, Dollar Bill
Tags: Life Lessons, Culture, Prison, Memoir, Incarceration

A Two Hour Tour of Prison

Lisa Kennedy

Can you imagine that the United States of America would imprison one of its geriatric citizens for a non-violent financial crime after he’d paid back twice as much as he owed? Would that make a lot of sense?

It doesn’t matter whether it does or doesn’t. One man (or woman) makes that decision. And that person is a judge. Mine was known as a hard-ass. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t hurt anybody — and that the government seized and kept twice as much as I owed. He wanted me to serve a year anyway!

And before it was all over, I’d done a mini-tour of New York City’s jails and prisons. I got to know lots of drug and/or gun dealers, child molesters, pimps, wife-beaters, gangbangers, money launderers, and even a murderer or two.

I was not placed in Club Fed. I went to Rikers Island, the Tombs, and the federal system’s most infamous and quite possibly most poorly-run prison, MCC.

As threatening as some of the inmates could be, I got in zero fights. A lifetime of driving a cab, living in the East Village alongside my mixed-race neighbors, driving a taxi, and playing in several bands as the token honky, I was familiar with the gorgeous mosaic and its multiple cultures. I survived by working two jobs, reading constantly, and minding my own fucking business.

Prison is an environment that fascinates people who’ve never been there. It’s kind of like war in that way. Nobody wants to go — but everybody is curious about what it’s really like. That’s why there are so many movies, books and television shows on both subjects.

After my release, I got to writing down (or typing out) essays on a few facets of prison and jail life. I’d like to think they’re provocative and at least somewhat unique. Everybody’s incarceration experience is different. And similarly, everybody expresses it in his or her own way.

Following is over two hours of reading describing mine. It’s not all of what I’ve written by a long shot. But it is representative — and as ready for prime time as it will probably ever be. Think of it as a movie from which you’ll come out more informed and hopefully entertained. Here we go:
Questions & Demands for Delaware Prisons
By: D. Marque Hall
Tags: Mass Incarceration, Trauma, BlackLivesMatter, Prison, Prison Reform

Joanna Chapney Delaware Department of Corrections Director Questioned by D. Marque Hall in 2019.

We want people who are not a threat to the public released.

Releasing healthy non-violent offenders to home confinement will decrease the spread of Covid-19 and save lives.

We want assurance that there is a plan and process to support people at all levels:

After being arrested and testing positive can the prison system safely isolate that individual right now?

The answer from what we are hearing from inside is No which is why people who are not sick and not a threat to the public must be released.

What are the protocols for monitoring Covid and separating those with highest levels of vulnerability (elderly and pre-existing health conditions)?

If they were to be exposed what mechanisms are in place to support those who are exposed?

Upon release what are protocols to ensure individuals who have Covid are supported in isolation?

Where is the creativity that should come from the compassion to help all people including the offender population?

The state could build encampments to house people who can not be released to spread people out.

For people in transition, buildings including closed schools and other vacant real estate could be used for housing since they’re already empty.

We know the hospitals are full and so are the shelters and we are aware of the use of hotels to house the homeless. People reentering society who do not have a home to go to will need help too.

If the state has a plan they should be able to articulate it to us.

Thank you

Respectfully yours,

Davon “D” Marque Hall

(Community Councilman)

Call or text (302) 354–1700 Email weareallremarkable@fineblackart.com

—

“And the Glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be One, just as We are One”- John 17 : 22

WE ARE ALL REMARKABLE!

@ fineblackart.com

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The Ugly Truth about “Made in America”
By: Kirsten Porter
Tags: Prison, Mass Incarceration, Made In Usa, Politics

We’ve all heard the term “prison labor.” It doesn’t, on the face of it, sound like such a bad thing. God willing, I’ll never have to go to prison, but if I did I’d want to be a contributing member of jail society. Maybe something like Red or Gloria from Orange is the New Black, serving up fantastic meals on a nonexistent budget.

But the reality is much darker than that. According to Bureau of Prisons statistics, the overwhelming majority of prison jobs are actually factory jobs of one kind or another. Most “Made in America” clothing, much like the lingerie featured in OITNB, comes out of these prison factories. Since it’s relatively easy to learn to use a sewing machine, with relatively little risk of injury, it’s the ideal trade to teach the thousands of inmates who are being required to work.

In fact, the overwhelming majority of “Made in America” items are produced by prison labor, aside from artisanal items. According to reporting by Rick Helfenbein in 2016, promises to increase domestic production is often coded speak by politicians for increasing contracts with the private prison systems. Since federal minimum wages do not apply to prisoners, based on the language addressing forced prison labor in the 13th Amendment, companies are able to pay pennies per hour to prisoners in order to turn massive profits on retail items. Indeed, according to UNICOR, a program of the BOP, the highest wage reported in a prison factory is $1.16 per hour, approximately 1/6 of the minimum wage.

According to a 2008 report by Mother Jones, companies that knowingly use prison labor include Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Microsoft, Costco… The list goes on. Prisoners staff meat packing plants. They build household items like brooms and flat pack furniture. They make law enforcement uniforms, in a move as tasteless as we’ve come to expect from the cops in 2020.

They’re also ordered to lie; in 2007, two men were sent to solitary confinement for admitting to a journalist that they were ordered to rip “Made in Honduras” labels off clothing and replace them with “Made in the USA.”
The Prisoner Who’s Stuck in a Time Loop (a Short Story)
By: Kendall Beaver
Tags: Creative Writing, Short Story, Prison, Psychological Thriller, Heartache

December 5th, 2019

Rayna’s parents,

I’m writing this letter because I need to get something off my chest. First off, I’m so sorry for your lost. I’m beyond devastated-beyond heartbroken to hear about Rayna’s death last week. I don’t know how I can live anymore… I’d NEVER want her to kill herself for anything or anyone, especially me. I’ve been crying for days. They got a shrink to check me out. She’s prescribed me something I’d never heard of, but it’s supposed to keep me from lashing out at people. I took my first dose about an hour ago and feel immensely calmer and quite drowsy.

I know I’ll never be the same again. No one will make me as happy as Rayna did. I pray that if there is an afterlife I’ll get a chance to glimpse at her one last time before I make my way downstairs. Rayna’s an angel. I never deserved her.

I know you’ll always hate me no matter what I do or say, but I want you to know that I’ll never forget your daughter. Her memory and spirit will always live within me. I constantly play memories of her and she’s all I’ll think about for some time. You raised her right. I wish I had you as parents instead of my miserable old man.

I don’t know how but I’m going to make everything right. I’m going to get right with myself. I’ll study spirituality and find my calling. Maybe I’ll be a psychologist once I get out so I can help young kids from making the same mistakes I did. No one should ever end up like me again.

Mark my words, I will be a better man. This is my promise to you and Rayna.

Forever yours,

Freddy
Eoin, this is Pam, Rob’s collaborator and editor “in the world” (as he would say, since the…
By: More Than Our Crimes
Tags: Prison, Justice, Injustice

Eoin, this is Pam, Rob’s collaborator and editor “in the world” (as he would say, since the American prison is something very separate). Rob has a hard time getting his writings out right now due to the conditions he described. But I am writing him regularly and will share your words. I told him in my last letter that perhaps this is his mission right now, if there is broader “purpose” behind the madness and injustice of his incarceration — to expose the inhumane conditions behind bars that flourish with impunity.
I wasn’t aching to write this
By: D Marque Hall
Tags: Prison Reform, Criminal Justice, Prison, Delaware, Criminal Justice Reform

By Community Councilman Davon “D” Marque Hall (Brother D) 12/4/2020 8:44PM EST

I read these words from a man still inside posted to the wall of a Facebook group called, “Delaware Antiracist Alliance” and it’s on the page “Free Terek Downing” as well. I read his letter/email and just shared my story after under his post. I dont know him from the next man. I don’t know what he did or where he is but I know his pain.

I was on Facebook 2 hours and 10 minutes before I took this screenshot and typed this:

From a Man’s Heart inside of a Delaware Prison

And after I read this I commented beneath it:

I wasn’t planning on typing this tonight or sharing this here but here I am but does anyone hear us? I’ll spell this out again for clarity and hopefully direction. I am a consensus candidate.

I was in the hole for months putting in grievance after grievance slip with an exposed root from a fill-in I bit out before I got locked up. I was in extreme pain. I couldnt eat anything (hot or cold). Then when I finally went to the dentist he was very old and possibly a Parkinson’s patient who shook so bad he couldn’t put his own gloves on- the nurse had to put his gloves on for him- and then they put a waiver in front of me that said I couldn’t receive anything if I had extreme bleeding, bone fracture, infection, etc…

I was in so much pain and I had waited for so long that I was going to let the shakey elder dentist who I knew was only working in the prison because he couldn’t work anywhere else operate on me because I didn’t know how long I would be in there and I was in so much pain and I couldnt even eat but when they put that waiver in front of me I backed out and thank God my court date came up soon after that and thank God I was released back into society and the first thing I did was see a dentist who I don’t think I ever paid (please forgive me). This was 2008. These problems didn’t start with Covid. Delaware is a mess. DOC is a mess. I was in Howard R. Young. I pray to God I never go back #KEEPUPTHEGOODFIGHT I will do my best to help those advocating for change and #PRISONREFORM in #DE to #MAKEADIFFERENCE. I just wrote an article about this.#KEEPUPTHEGOODFIGHT
“Just An Inmate”
By: Russell Meyers
Tags: Covid 19, Pandemic, Death, Prison, Politics

One of my patients went to the hospital with the virus. I do not expect to see him again.

To you he is “just an inmate”. What is your next excuse?

I really don’t care what your next excuse is.
A captivated mind can either grow or commit it’s own misery...https://vocal.media/poets/living-on-th
By: Leavie Scott
Tags: Relationships, Prison, Poetry, Poems On Medium, Love

In a world where separation is the law and where Love is freedom, but a dream, and hope... Well, hope https://vocal.media/poets/living-on-the-inside-looking-out
Amir Hossein Moradi beaten by the Head of the Greater Tehran Prison, sent to quarantine against his will
By: United For Iran
Tags: Iran, Iran Prison Atlas, Political Prisoners, Human Rights, Prisons

Amir Hossein Moradi, pictured here, was first arrested during Iran’s nationwide protests in November 2019. He has since been sentenced to execution.

December 3, 2020 — Amir Hossein Moradi, an Iranian political prisoner who was originally arrested during Iran’s nationwide protests in November 2019, was brutally beaten and sent to a prison quarantine ward against his will by Asghar Fathi, the director of the Greater Tehran Prison.

According to Iran Prison Atlas researchers, prior to the beating Mr. Moradi had been hospitalized in Razi Hospital for about 20 days due to complications from psoriasis. Before leaving the hospital, Mr. Moradi reportedly received a PCR test to check for COVID-19, which came back negative. Mr. Moradi’s hope was that this negative test result would enable him to return to a regular prison cell in Fashafoyeh prison, rather than the prison’s quarantine ward. The quarantine ward in Fashafoyeh is reserved for prisoners who have or are suspected to have contracted COVID-19. As such, Mr. Moradi hoped to avoid this ward, as it presented a considerable threat to his health, and was also unnecessary, considering his negative COVID test.

However, when Mr. Moradi requested to be returned to his regular cell, his request was immediately disregarded, and Mr. Moradi was brutally beaten by a prison guard in the presence of Asghar Fathi — the director of the Greater Tehran Prison — and the head of the 6th brigade of Fashafoyeh prison. Moradi was reportedly beaten, verbally abused, had his hand twisted by the guard, and was forced to stand in place for several hours straight. After this, Mr. Moradi was taken to the quarantine ward, which is full of multiple prisoners who have or are suspected to have COVID-19, putting his life in immediate danger. According to an individual familiar with the prison, who wished to remain anonymous, this quarantine ward is said to have very little access to health or sanitation facilities, and is so cramped that maintaining social distance is simply not possible.

Mr. Moradi’s concerns related to his psoriasis appear well founded. Shortly after his initial arrest in 2019, he reportedly contracted the flu while in prison, and the illness was deeply exacerbated by his psoriasis, and made him deeply ill.
Haiku – The Prisoner
Tags: Freedom, Prison, Haiku, Poetry, Prison Reform

Local poet/writer. ‘There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.’ E. Hemingway. All ©️DMM
Wow. I’ve always feared the system theyve done me wrong so many times, but have only experienced 24…
By: Colin Munro Wood
Tags: People, Mindfulness, Life, Justice, Prison

Wow. I’ve always feared the system theyve done me wrong so many times, but have only experienced 24 hours in a county medical unit with private cells, in South Carolina. Funny enough, I get along best with the black guys too. Always have and I played chess with this dude who was a genius, but didnt talk. He blew me away in 3 chess matches in 30 minutes. He was fast too. I said geez dude you play a lot of chess I guess, and mumbled yeah with a little smile. Another guy did his best to curb my temper the evening I was put in and kept me informed on things I was demanding to know. Like I was some king in jail, or something. Lol.

I truly appreciate reading your story. I am sorry you fa ed this horrible justice system that way. I hope you never fo through it again, brother!
Thank you for your comments.
By: Andy Killoran
Tags: Parole, Murder, Crime, Prison, Early Release

Thank you for your comments. You’re right, he is quite a young man and will be mid 60’s or so when he served his ‘tariff’ and he will be eligible to apply for parole. That does not mean he will get it, of course: In the U.K. the only sentence for murder is life imprisonment, so he will only be released on license if he convinces a Parole Board thar he is no longer a threat. Will he manage that? Who can tell. I would not place odds against a seeming ‘damascene’ conversion along the way…
Meet Luke Deakin
Tags: Employment, Coding, Prison, Prison Reform, Education

In 2018 however, I was convicted and sentenced to four and a half years in custody. Receiving a custodial sentence really hit me hard and I found the whole experience very difficult. After spending time at various prisons while in custody I became very aware of the problems within the judicial system in the UK. The inequalities, the constant tick box exercises, the failure to rehabilitate prisoners and a prison education system that prioritises funding over the training of relevant skillsets meant that more often than not, prisoners at the end of their sentences were left with very little to set themselves up for success after leaving. Seeing those leaving custody with more problems than solutions made me determined to help in some way but at the time I was unsure exactly how I could contribute.

After leaving custody I spoke with the New Futures Network — a specialist part of the prison service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers — about my employment options. They put me in touch with Michael at CodeAtt and after having a short chat with Michael, I was introduced to the wider CodeAtt founders, Tariq and Josh.

I was really inspired by the passion of the team and the very real potential impact CodeAtt could have to help ex-prisoners and young people at risk of crime up-skill in something that would provide them with a worthwhile, relevant skill set and give them a better chance of securing work.

Anything is possible

I was confident that with my experience I could really help the company and I was pleased to have been offered the role at CodeAtt. It will see me utilise my experience of working in this industry to help with CodeAtt’s online coding platform and ensure that it has the appropriate levels of security behind it.

CodeAtt also went the extra mile however and through the team’s relationships in the industry, they managed to broker a partnership with a digital design company that have offered me a separate job role which will allow me to utilise my digital and design web skills to create solutions for various websites.

In such a short time, CodeAtt has provided me with so much and I’m truly looking forward to paying them back by supporting the company and helping it drive real change in the justice system.

https://codeatt.org/
About Me — Wayne A. Boatwright. To create in any form takes courage, I…
By: Wayne Boatwright
Tags: Covid 19, Introduction, Prison, Polymath, About Me

About Me — Wayne A. Boatwright

I refuse to know for certain what others take for granted.

By Omid Mokri, 2019 (charcoal on cloth)

Curiosity brought you to this post, welcome. Before I share the scope and timbre of my writings, let me share a few adventures I’ve experienced as these may pique your interest to read on and sample my writings….

I have:

Born to an age of adventure in the physical world (see more of my ‘adventures’ at the bottom), I now write of my adventures in the psychic realm.

Free of the twin distractions of mobility and being ‘connected,’ to the ALL-THING of a smartphone at San Quentin, I spent a fair amount of time THINKING. Yes, I studied too — ranging from ancient Greeks and Enlightenment philosophers to recent neuro-psychological research. This study provided me with jargon to reveal my inner world and how I see our modern society. To share these psychic insights, however, is most challenging. You see, I refuse to know for certain what others take for granted. To my surprise, the world is a much different place than I once thought. New mental constructs are both difficult to formulate and consume. The time it takes to ‘set the table’ with context bores people and you lose their attention. Still, my Medium Posts are an attempt to do just that (see topics below).

We each inhabit a story, describing where we are, where we are going, and the actions we must undertake to get from the former to the latter. These inhabited stories are predicated on an underlying value system (as we must want to be where we are going more than we value where we are). In addition, they are frames of reference, allowing us to perceive … and determine emotional significance. Jordan Peterson

PRISON

COVID-19 PANDEMIC

FAMILY

Caspar: Returning Home (my last weekend with my family before prison — chosen for further distribution )

) WHY DADDY? (explaining my alcoholism to my daughter)

500 Pounds of Happiness (the power of a child’s magic — chosen for further distribution )

) AUTO: (How one simple word changed my life)

PERSONAL JOURNEY TO DISCOVER SELF

FAILING CULTURAL NARRATIVE

POLITICS

I have (continued):

Early in my San Quentin years 2013