Jacob Wood
My name is Jacob Wood TDC# 1085617. I’m a Texas inmate here at the
Telford Unit in New Boston, TX.
What got me into prison? My life style of rebellion got me here.
I dropped out of school in the 8th grade. I had gone to the Christian
school and was at the point that I would drop out or get kicked out.
I was nothing but a troublemaker as it was. At age 13 of I had started
smoking weed and drinking all of the time. I had moved out at the age
of 15. My Dad loves me but he is very strict and hard to live with.
I suppose that is why I started to rebel at such a young age.
At the age of 17 I moved back in with my parents. I had been in
jail two times. The first time was for a P.I. The next time
it was for a second and third degree felony. I was guilty for the
third degree felony.
One night while I was drinking with some homeboys, I got a little drunk
and ended up fighting one of my homeboys. After the fight my homeboy David
took me home but I didn’t stay. I took off walking. Three houses
down I ended up breaking into a truck. I was going to take the radio
but some how I ended up stealing the truck So I was drunk on my ass driving
a 71 pickup with a 454 big block. I was driving all crazy so the next
thing I knew the K-9 unit was on my ass but having a 454 I was out of sight
and still driving crazy. The next thing I knew I lost control.
A pickup parked on the side of the road got in my way and I smashed it.
I was going so fast when I hit the pickup that I slid into a bedroom.
Somehow I got out and ran home.
I woke up the next day all bloody from the wreck. My face had been
cut up from all of the glass and my right eye had glass in it. I remember
my mom came into my room to wake me up for church. When she asked what
happened I just told her I got into a fight. That was normal for me.
In order to keep from getting caught I had to keep my mouth shut but I
went to a party and got drunk again. A guy asked me what happened and
I told him. The next day he got busted for breaking into the house.
He was only 16 and told them my name and said I helped him break into the
house. Then he told them about me wreaking the truck. When the cops
came to talk to me they scared me by telling me that I was in trouble for
breaking into the house and stealing the pickup. I went to jail for
both.
My parents were real upset so I was stuck with a court appointed lawyer.
He told me that if I plead guilty to both he could get me probation.
Being real scared and only 17 I told him Ok.
So I plead guilty to breaking into a house even though I had nothing to
do with it. I did not even know about it. I feel stupid now
because I could have beaten this case. So I did 4 years on probation
but I could not stop drinking so I ended up in prison.
I’ve been locked up for a year now and I just turned 22 on November ninth.
I am a long ways from my home. I haven’t seen my family in six months.
My family lives in Odessa TX and I am too far for visits.
I’ve never in my life been through anything like this. It
is real hard for me because I am white, 22 years old, have blue eyes and
light brown hair. I’m what they call a pretty boy. For some
reason people in here have this fixed picture in their head that all white
pretty boys are rich, so they tell you like this, “Fight, fuck or pay money.”
I am not gay and I’m not going to give my money up to people like them so
I have to fight. I’m lucky I haven’t been raped. Thank God!
My girlfriend gave up on me and found someone new? When I was first
locked up she talked to a lawyer about getting me shock probation.
As you can see I’m still in prison so it didn’t work. I didn’t make
my first parole so now I am waiting for find out If I’m going to make my next
parole. I’ve not been in any kind of trouble other than this case that
an officer wrote on 5 other guys and me because we would not snitch on a
guilty inmate.
One of my co-workers had taken some socks and begged up some peanut butter
and was going to try to take them back to his cell. He had them in
a hiding place in the kitchen until he got off. I had to write my parents
to get them to call up here. That case could have made them keep me
longer and I would not have made my parole. That was just last
week.
I have to deal with losing my girlfriend, Katie, who I hold dear to my heart.
It was my first time ever to be in love and my first time to even care about
a woman.
Why it had to happen to me around the time in my life when I went to prison,
I don’t understand. I do wish I could go back in time. A lot
of things would be different. I know I would spend more time with my
parents. I would have beaten this case. I would have been very
picky about the people I would call my friends. I wouldn’t have just
fallen in love with someone who wasn’t real with me and faithful to me.
Drinking and drugs has a lot to do with that. It is hard to be faithful
to someone when you live a lifestyle of just looking for the next high.
I hit rock bottom by getting sent to prison. While I’m here I’m
going to get my GED. I’ve only got a few months left so that’s really
all I have time for. I’m single now – got no ring on this finger now.
So when I get out I will have my GED, no girlfriend, lots of stuff to do
out there, a new life and one thing I am going to do is give my mom a big
hug. You know the small things in life are what we miss when we don’t
have them any more.
The guy my ex girlfriend, Katie, found was my brother Joe. He is 23
years old. I’m thinking about seeing if we could go on the Jerry Springer
Show when I get out. (HAHA) That is very dysfunctional. (HAHA)
I wish I could rap like Eminem, I could make millions.
At the present time I am in safe keeping. I’ve been here for a week
and a half because my life is in danger as we speak. I had a new cell
mate come in from a different unit. He had been sent to this unit because
he had some trouble with a gang called West TX. He thought he was safe
but he was wrong. Word was sent from the other unit to kill this guy.
So the other day I was down in the day room watching TV when I looked up
and seen three Mexicans going in my cell. Not knowing I ran up to my
cell. What I saw was my cell mate being stabbed in the back.
He was doing his best to fight them off. Most people in prison
would not concern themselves with something like this if the boy is not a
homeboy or in your gang. I am not in a gang, mind you, but being my
cell mate I jumped right in and started fighting them the best I could.
We were able to fight the guys off. As they were leaving they threatened
me and my cell mate.
I felt real good knowing that I helped save this man. He did thank me. Hey
I just pray that someone would help me too.
The guy got some medical help for his stab wound in his back and we both
were put over in protective custody to wait till we could get moved of this
unit. I’ve only got a shot time left only having six years. I’ve
got a family to go home to. I am not trying to die in here or get some
more time. This is not my home. The gang bangers can have this
place.
What I don’t understand about prisons is that they put people who have less
time in with the people who have life without parole or aggravated time.
Then the people who never will go home don’t care about anything. They
rape people, kill people and make it harder on you. Some people end
up picking up new time because they end up killing a sick nasty person who
raped them. The guards a lot of times know what’s going on and so for
a person to go and ask for protection from the guy who is raping them they
get laughed at. I know that if I had someone rape me it would be hard
not to go get me a steel and put it in the guy who raped me.
Since I have been over here I’ve talked to a few other guys in other cells.
We stay in our cells 24/7 other than leaving to get a shower and then we
have two guards escort us. Our food is brought to us. The few
other guys I’ve spoken to over here are here because they were raped. One
of them told me one of the sergeants told him he probably liked it because
he didn’t step forward and say anything for five months. For five months
out of fear he was letting two big guys have sex with him. He’s real
small and not able to fight.
Now what he is dealing with is that he might have AIDS or how is his family
going to look at him. Poor dude, my heart is goes out to him.
I can’t help but to put myself in his shoes. I seriously couldn’t live
with myself if I was ever to be raped. Anyway seeing all of this angers
me. What is life going to be like for my kids? This system is
about money, not about the persons in prison. We are just numbers to
them. Think about this. A guy who is raping grown men in prison
is being released back on the streets. If he would rape a grown man,
the Lord only knows who he would rape out on the streets. But this
is what the prison system is making now days, rapists and killers.
People come to prison and become this or victims to this.
You know, after seeing all that I’ve seen being in prison, I’m not going
to let this make me bitter. I like what Eminem said, “I guess I’ve
always been the type of person who, if a brick is thrown my way, I set it
up the wrong way and stand on it.” Whatever obstacle is thrown my way,
I try to use it to my advantage and run with it. All this happening
to me could have been a blessing in disguise, because it made me more focused.
Now I’m aware of everything around me. I feel like a wide-eyed kid:
Holy Shit! Where have I been all of these years?
I’m clean, sober, 22 years old and in good shape. I don’t smoke; keep
in mind drugs are all over the place in here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m
sure that when I get out I might smoke cigarettes. It’s just not something
a person would want to do in here if they want to go home. If you get
caught with cigarettes you will get a case that will keep you from making
parole. Crazy huh? It’s a hard way out, man. There is so
much about prison life that can never be captured with words. This
with loneliness should never be forced on anyone that once knew freedom.
© Copyright 2002 Jacob Wood
Jacob Wood #1085617
P.O. Box 9200
New Boston, TX 75570-9200
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