A prisoner took his life yesterday...
A guard working the late shift found his body hanging from the air vent that's located near the ceiling above the cell's toilet. He was about 62 years old, and was doing a life sentence. A man who knew the deceased told me he had been in prison for about six years, and had family problems of some kind. I did not know the man personally. He and I never spoke. He did not live in the same building as me, either. Yet there were a few times when I said hello to him in the recreation yard, but he refused to acknowledge my greetings.
In the prison setting, many men try to portray a self-confident macho image. They will not acknowledge a friendly nod from a stranger. This is just the way it is.
I could tell, however, that he was a proud man. The guy who knew him said he once owned a fancy restaurant before coming to prison. But the violent crime he committed, apparently out of anger and jealousy, caused a lot of damage to his family. Some of them turned against him.
Obviously, looking at the situation from hindsight, this deeply troubled man kept his feelings to himself. He bottled them up. He did not trust anyone enough to open up and share his pain with. There was no one with whom he could unburden his heart. The result: suicide.
D.B.
In the prison setting, many men try to portray a self-confident macho image. They will not acknowledge a friendly nod from a stranger. This is just the way it is.
I could tell, however, that he was a proud man. The guy who knew him said he once owned a fancy restaurant before coming to prison. But the violent crime he committed, apparently out of anger and jealousy, caused a lot of damage to his family. Some of them turned against him.
Obviously, looking at the situation from hindsight, this deeply troubled man kept his feelings to himself. He bottled them up. He did not trust anyone enough to open up and share his pain with. There was no one with whom he could unburden his heart. The result: suicide.
D.B.
