Join us as we delve into the harsh truths of reintegration into society post-incarceration. With personal stories and expert insights, we dissect the barriers faced by former inmates and the systemic issues that hinder true rehabilitation. We invite listeners to ponder on the role of society and how we can collectively support those seeking a fresh start.
SPEAKER 02 :
I can’t hide myself I don’t expect you to understand I just hope I can explain What it’s like to be a man It’s a lonely road And they don’t care about what you know It’s not about how you feel But what you provide inside that home
SPEAKER 01 :
where they discuss real life topics that men today are dealing with, whether married, single parent, or just single. We invite you to call into this live program with your comments and questions. And here they are.
SPEAKER 12 :
how’s everybody doing this afternoon we are klz 560 am we are the guys perspective remember you can always reach out to the guys at 303 477 5600 again that’s 303 477 5600 um i’m super excited we’re no longer 30 minutes we’re going a whole hour and before we do before we go around the room and announce ourselves i first want to do the pledge allegiance to the flag man you know what i’m saying do you remember i actually i do i think i do okay so let’s do this all right okay i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all When’s the last time you said that, man?
SPEAKER 13 :
Fifth grade.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m telling you, right? It’s been a long time since we said that stuff right there. That was legit. Come on with it, Colorado. I’m telling you, we love being on the air with all you guys. And again, this is KLZ 560 and we’re at 303-477-5600. If anybody else has been a long time since they said to pledge allegiance, call in and tell us about it, man.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s been a while. Hope you were doing it with us. In your car.
SPEAKER 12 :
In your car. Okay, let’s go around the room. Introduce you guys yourselves.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m Reno, local electrician. It’s good to have you, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
You’re with us every week.
SPEAKER 13 :
And I’m Heath Hine. I run Clearview Windshield Repair, which is a franchise business. And so I’m looking for more franchisees if you want to be out there with me. And then, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
and we are missing um andre he’s he’s you know kind of going through some things so he’s not with us today he’s with his family and um we’re missing truth in the booth you know what i’m saying i mean you know he’s he was telling us the truth when he ain’t feeling well you know okay i think we oh before we get started um uh do you want to tell the address to the upper room
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, it’s 1001 South Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado. If you’re looking for a place to go to church to fellowship, that is a very friendly place.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, if you have a baby dedication or anything like that that you want to, you know, baptism, baby dedication, anything of that sort, look it up. Pastor Derwood Tate is… Do we know his number off the top of our head? You know, let me… I think I… Yeah, either way, look up the upper room. Look up the upper room. One other thing, if y’all miss our show or you want to go back and listen to our show, you can go to our, what’s our social media platform?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, we’ve got Facebook, we’ve got Spotify, we’ve got iTunes, and our YouTube got shut down because of my guy in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh people, man. And John from Bangladesh got us shut down.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, that’s a tough one right there.
SPEAKER 13 :
Maybe we’re talking about some two real topics, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
I’m telling you right there.
SPEAKER 13 :
They couldn’t handle it.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, we’re pretty real.
SPEAKER 13 :
Soon to have a website. And hey, if you build websites, let us know. You could build us one.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, if you build websites, give us… Give us a chime. If you go to our Facebook, you can post topics and you can talk to the guys. We had a gentleman. We don’t say anybody’s name on the air except for our own, but he was asking us on Facebook. He was saying, are you guys some kind of rogue group? Are you guys trying to start your own movement? Just to let everybody know, we’re the guy’s perspective. We talk about everything.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yep. A to Z. Well, one million. One to infinity.
SPEAKER 12 :
There you go. So if you’ve got anything you want to ask us, we’re more than willing to chat with you. But just to let people know, we are… We talk about everything. If whatever topic comes to the top of our head or one of these guys want to talk about this week, that’s what we do.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, not a rogue group.
SPEAKER 12 :
We’re definitely not a rogue group. We’ve got structure. That’s what it’s about. And today we’re going to talk about prison and does it work? Does the prison system work? Is it set up right? Is it flawed? Right.
SPEAKER 13 :
I mean, I’d like to tear into the –
SPEAKER 05 :
I believe it’s definitely flawed. I mean, I’d rather be, if I had to go through the system, I’d rather be an American than any place else. But it’s definitely flawed.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. You wouldn’t want to be locked up in Venezuela or some Siberian prison in Russia, man. That would be rough, man.
SPEAKER 13 :
That is true. Well, see, I guess it’s important to compare to certain things. Yeah, for sure. But what I’ve studied and what I’ve learned is, I mean, I’ve been in jail a couple of times and I don’t recommend it to nobody, first of all. What did you go to jail for, man? DV, domestic violence. Oh, gotcha. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
They’ll throw you in jail for that.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, yeah, man. Nowadays, it’s like three strikes and you’re out. You go to prison. Yeah, you go to prison. So I stopped beating women.
SPEAKER 11 :
Come on, man.
SPEAKER 13 :
No, I got a wife who’s real strong. She’d beat me up. I’m telling you, yeah, she would. She’ll handle business.
SPEAKER 12 :
Why do you think it’s flawed?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, it’s biased. What do you mean? Well, a certain group of people will get a certain amount of time for certain crimes. Another group of people will get a different outcome. I mean, you see it all the time.
SPEAKER 12 :
So we got a caller coming in. I can agree with you. Let me ask you this. If the system’s flawed, like because I believe that if a judge gives you a set amount of time, let’s say he sends you to prison for three years, why is that when you get out you’ve got to do, you’ve got to have an ankle bracelet, you’ve got to do like monetize.
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s about what we’re talking about here.
SPEAKER 05 :
You don’t always do the full time. What do you mean? You have a parole date. Okay. And if you parole, then you have a certain period of time you have to be on parole. Okay. And if there’s an ankle monitor involved or…
SPEAKER 12 :
I’ve never been in prison, so I don’t know how any of it works. I’ve read about it, though.
SPEAKER 13 :
Even going to jail, man. It was like $30 a week.
SPEAKER 12 :
Dre, how’s it going? Do we know this guy? Hey, what’s up, guys? Oh, this is our show host. What’s up? Do we know this guy? Do we know you? It’s your local crackhead.
SPEAKER 04 :
what’s up buddy hey hey guys just wanted to say i’m sorry i wasn’t able to be a part of it but i’m listening to you guys and man there’s so much to be said about you know the prison system and how much money that even you know people make just off of us as the taxpayers and i mean And also, to answer your question, are we a rogue entity? Heck yeah, we are. We’re a rogue.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, with that being said, do you know what the Pledge of Allegiance is? You know, so you’re our first caller. I was standing up in my truck. Good job, buddy.
SPEAKER 04 :
I’m telling you, that’s how it’s got to be.
SPEAKER 12 :
All right, man. We’re going to let you go, buddy. Buddy guys. Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, see? He caught us on that. Yeah, he did. We should go to jail. We were sitting down while we said the Pledge of Allegiance. We didn’t hand over the heart. We didn’t stand.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, my hand was on the heart, though. But you are supposed to stand, right? When you say the Pledge? There’s the flag. That’s true.
SPEAKER 13 :
I kind of scratched my butt while we were saying it.
SPEAKER 11 :
Jesus, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, okay. So tell us about it being flawed. So, I guess… Maybe what listeners want to know is if they sentence you, why are you still being sentenced your whole entire life, basically? I mean, you see what I’m saying? You get out of prison. Let’s say you get a felony. Now nobody wants to hire you. Why doesn’t people ever take into consideration you change?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, full disclosure, I am a convicted felon. Okay. But there’s things that you can still do. Your life’s not over as a felon. That’s good. I’m a master electrician. Yeah, and you’re good. I’ve worked for the city and county of Denver for 18 years. Wow. Before I went out on my own. Wow. I didn’t have to lie about my background. It was full disclosure with them. There’s people out there that are felon friendly. My company is felon friendly.
SPEAKER 13 :
Mine too.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yours too? Yeah. I don’t have a company. But the company I work for I don’t think is felon friendly. I know for a fact they aren’t.
SPEAKER 05 :
Me going to jail didn’t reform me. It’s a choice on the inside. You make that choice for yourself. So you don’t think prison reformed you? I didn’t go to prison. Or jail? You know, going through my situation, no, it didn’t reform me at all. Gotcha. It’s a choice that you make. Wow. Whether you want to keep going down that road. I have friends that are still going down that road. Gotcha.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s a choice. Are they… Yeah, because that’s one of the things that we’re seeing our PRISM systems thought about. It’s that currently right now locked up from the research that I did, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, there’s a million two hundred and some thousand people locked up. They release probably four hundred thousand a year. And after three years, they go back. Why is that?
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s because it’s the prison industrial complex and it’s because it’s about money. Okay. And therefore the morality is challenged when it comes down to money. It’s a design.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. They design it.
SPEAKER 13 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s how it’s designed. It’s on purpose. It’s designed so that when you get out, you fell and go back.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. If you reform somebody, then you don’t have a customer anymore. You don’t have a client anymore. That’s a good point.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s just like the medical system. They don’t want you cured. No. They want to keep treating you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Wow. So everything’s revolving around money when it comes to the prison system.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s for profit.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it’s been a pretty bad thing for a long time. I think it goes all the way back to Reagan, Reaganomics, and war on drugs. And to Reno’s point, man, the sentencing for cocaine being predominantly used by white people was very… lenient. But for crack cocaine, which was predominantly in black neighborhoods, was very harsh and hard time.
SPEAKER 12 :
Like the RICO Act. Right. Why is it that it seems like certain races of people are judged harder by police officers than other people? For example, like That white privilege card is really real, guys. Let’s be real with that.
SPEAKER 13 :
Like you change your speech pattern and stuff when you get pulled over. Hello, sir. Nice to meet you.
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s just – it’s awkward. To me, it seems like there’s – it’s almost like our prison system is – set up to go after a particular type of person. Right? Or is it just set up for everybody? If you commit a crime, you’re going, period. No, I believe it is.
SPEAKER 13 :
There’s still systemic racism, without a doubt. But I do also believe that one of the leading factors is Um, the, uh, wealth inequality and unfortunately minorities, um, are a lot of time still in, um, uh, poverty. And so then when you cannot afford representation and they will be appointed to you that you could have one, those guys ain’t looking out for you, your best interest or to help you win. They just funnel you right to the system.
SPEAKER 12 :
Judges, too. And if anybody wants to call in and talk to us, and if you know more about it, again, we’re at 303-477-5600. Give us a call.
SPEAKER 13 :
But I agree with you, Reno. It took me straightening myself up and choosing a different path for myself. It wasn’t anything with reform or something. I wanted to grow. I wanted to change. I wanted to be better. and uh and sometimes uh it was about circumstances changing my circumstances people i hung out with um people i um associate with so that i could level up yeah you have to change if you want change you definitely have to change your circle if you look at your friends that’s that’s uh what is it if there’s five millionaires you’ll be the sixth if there’s a
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s a true statement right there.
SPEAKER 13 :
If you’re hanging with five criminals, you’re going to be the sixth.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, you’re right. If you’re hanging out with some crackhead now in Colfax, you’re going to be a crackhead, period. That’s just how that works.
SPEAKER 05 :
So you’ve got to look at your circle and ask yourself, where am I going?
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s amazing that you’re saying that because a lot of people, especially young people nowadays, I don’t think they – I don’t think they understand that concept.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s the truth. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived it. Wow. It’s the absolute truth.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it’s who you associate yourself with. It’s who’s going to influence you, basically.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
If you want to stop drinking, you’re not going to hang around a bunch of alcoholics.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s a true statement. So back to what I was saying. Why don’t you think the prison system works? Why doesn’t it reform people? I mean, because, oh, well, let’s take Shayshank Redemption, the movie.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, Shawshank.
SPEAKER 12 :
Shawshank. I mean, those dudes were sitting there tarring the roof. And, man, I guarantee if I was down south in, you know, let’s say, you know, Mississippi tarring some roof, that would probably work on me, man. So why don’t we implement that kind of stuff again?
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, like real hard labor?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
Like breaking rocks and stuff?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Ball and chain stuff.
SPEAKER 13 :
There’s still prisons that do that.
SPEAKER 12 :
They still have that. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. That would be crazy. Yeah, Leavenworth. Places like that. You think it’s still like that? Alcatraz, I ain’t around no more.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, you’d have to have been a smart guy to escape Alcatraz. We’re going down a rabbit hole with that. But, I mean, Alcatraz would have been a rough time to be in prison.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. Well, I think it’s the, again, when it’s for profit, as I believe it to be, well, I believe it to be, it’s publicly traded on the market.
SPEAKER 05 :
It is? Yeah, you could buy stocks in prison. What in the world? It’s not going to say prison. Right.
SPEAKER 13 :
No, it’s, yeah, it’s through some of the big boys, man, like Vanguard and BlackRock. And it’s like GeoGlobal or something like that. They’re entities that purchase prisons to put people in.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because at least for me, the way I think about it, and like I said, I’ve never been to prison. I’ve read about it, studied about it. I’ve had to write papers in college about it. And where I think they’re flawed is you go in, you do your time, But they don’t give you any way of coping when you get out. Because we had a friend who he ended up committing suicide. This is just for everybody who knows. He was in and out of the prison system. From a young age. Yeah. And the last time he got out, and like I said, we don’t use any names. He died. He got out, and he ended up going to a different state, wanted to change, because nobody would give him a chance. After seven years of being in prison, he didn’t even have an ID. So he used to tell us, like, well, how do I get an ID if I don’t even have any proof of who I am? They just kind of dropped me on the street when he got out. He didn’t have a mom. He didn’t have a dad. He didn’t have a family.
SPEAKER 13 :
Therein lies one of the real issues is when people get out, do they have people who are there for them? And a lot of times they don’t. Who’s there for them is the people that they were running with that got them there in the first place.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
It’s cyclical. It won’t end.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, well, because if you’ve been locked up for 20 years, how much has society changed by the time you get out? And that’s probably the reason why they’re going back, because there’s no help for who they are.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it’s called being institutionalized.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, there’s people who have gone to jail before cell phones. They get out, and now they’re cell phones. Yeah, what would that be like?
SPEAKER 13 :
Hey, beat me on my pager, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, you’re right. You’re 100% right. They go in in the 80s, they get out, and it’s 2025. 30 or 40 years has elapsed. How do they even know how to function?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. Yeah. Has to be people that they have that are supportive there for them.
SPEAKER 12 :
But how do they even – that’s – God, we can make – we can talk four days on this. Because if a person gets institutionalized, like you said, like our buddy, who we’ll just let everybody know, he ended up because – It was so hard when he got out. He had no help. We tried helping him.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it led to depression and suicide.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right. He ended up committing suicide because he couldn’t get a job. He couldn’t function in society. He couldn’t even get an ID, which to me was blowing me away. You have an American citizen who got locked up for things he did as a juvenile that transpired into an adult, and he couldn’t function once he got out.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it’s a trap.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and then there’s people who will commit a crime just to go back. They do their sentence. Wow. Like Keith said, they’re institutionalized. Yeah. And they will commit a crime just to get back locked up.
SPEAKER 13 :
Ends up being too hard out here, and they need that so-called structure that they had of being told when to go to sleep, what to eat.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. They’re fed. Mm-hmm. You get a, you know…
SPEAKER 12 :
three hots and a cot yeah basically do they still get the paper lunches that you know when people get locked up they give you the paper bag i wonder if they do that stuff anymore like if anybody knows more about no it’s on little school it’s on them little school lunch plastic plate things man separate that’s why some people now you know if somebody’s been to prison because they want their food separated
SPEAKER 05 :
Do that, man. Separate my food. Not all the time. I haven’t been in prison. I want my food separated. I do want my food separated, too. Even though I mix it on my fork.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, but I can’t have my salad and salad dressing running over into my mashed potatoes, dude. I can’t do that. I can’t have it all mixed up.
SPEAKER 13 :
See, you’re talking salad dressing. You don’t get salad dressing in prison.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I don’t know what they get in prison. I would imagine they get a salad eventually, right? Don’t they?
SPEAKER 05 :
They get a tossed salad. What?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s horrible.
SPEAKER 12 :
That is horrible. My God, man. Anyway, back to what we’re saying.
SPEAKER 13 :
I was watching a couple of videos to get up on this again, but what I remember, man, was it was, oh, it actually even pours into, because when we’re saying bias and racist and all that stuff is involved in this for sure. it goes back to like Sugar Hill Gang and remember when it was like happy rap man it was like a hippie to the hippie and everybody’s break dancing and stuff then it switched over to like gangster rap gangster rap which was criminal but it was funded and influenced by or it was I believe it was funded by entities unknown that and this is conspiracy this is conspiracy but it was funded so that it could hypnotize the youth into criminal activity and behavior really
SPEAKER 05 :
Now, I didn’t do the research myself. Okay. So this is hearsay. Okay. But the prison systems funded some record labels. Really?
SPEAKER 12 :
So you guys were saying that music, as it evolved, came from one type of music?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, they wanted you to rap about certain things.
SPEAKER 13 :
Okay. Right. So they would glorify drug, pimping, cars.
SPEAKER 05 :
But that’s what’s happened. Okay. So I don’t know if it was influenced, who it was influenced by, but it took a turn at some point.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because I’ve always wondered, like, does music influence, like, the structure of people? You know how, like, you got crazy death metal, and they’re all, yeah, and then you got, like, gospel music, oh, I love you, and then you got, you know, all the other crazy stuff.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m not going to say the names of anyone, but there’s certain groups that have satanic, names or references. Gotcha. So if you look at the artists back when rap started being gangster rap, you’ll find them.
SPEAKER 12 :
God, that is… So with that being said, wow, I did not know we were going here. That’s how deep it goes, though. Do you guys think that rap glorifies people committing crimes? That way it builds you up? That way you can commit crimes? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, it’s being conditioned. Right, being conditioned. When one is conditioned by what they – be careful of the eyes what you see and little ears what you hear, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
But what you put in, you continually – what are you putting into your body? Through your ears, through your mouth, whatever, whatever you see.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good input, good output, good – or crap input is crap output.
SPEAKER 12 :
God, man, I wish the whole group was here for this. This is deep. Oh, that’s why I switched.
SPEAKER 13 :
I switched from, because I love hip-hop, man. I grew up on it. It’s my favorite.
SPEAKER 12 :
What was your favorite, like, artist?
SPEAKER 13 :
I mean, you know, the Great White Hope Eminem, obviously. But before all that.
SPEAKER 12 :
There’s a lot of dudes like Eminem.
SPEAKER 13 :
I used to get high all the time to The Chronic and, you know, all that stuff with Dr. Dre and Snoop.
SPEAKER 12 :
You were all about Snoop Dogg, huh?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, Domino.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, we got a brother here from Chicago. What was your jam growing up? See, Tupac, Twister. Everybody was loving some Tupac, right? Do people still listen to Tupac? Oh, yeah, I think so. Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sure, because he was probably the biggest rapper for that day, right? Well, one of them. So now let me ask you this. All these main rappers that rapped all these songs, do you think they went to prison, too? Do you think they went to jail?
SPEAKER 05 :
Tupac went to prison.
SPEAKER 12 :
Okay, Tupac went to prison.
SPEAKER 05 :
There’s a lot of rappers who are college-educated.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, absolutely. Wiz Khalifa is like a PhD. Really? Yeah, he’s like an aerospace engineer. These guys are smart people then. Many of them. Weird Al Yankovic. I mean, I know that’s a dip. That’s a dip. But Weird Al Yankovic was like a rocket scientist, man. You’re telling me these guys were that intelligent? He found it to be better and you could influence more people and make a better impact in that industry.
SPEAKER 12 :
Your reach is better and greater. Wow.
SPEAKER 13 :
What are we doing here?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, we’re entertainers too and we’re influencing people. So I never thought about the type of songs and structure in people’s thoughts that would cause them to commit crimes that would ultimately lead them to prison. Right.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, there’s rappers who have made it big and gone to prison because they rapped about the crime they committed.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, my God. This is amazing.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, so because it was in their rap, they basically told on themselves and got busted?
SPEAKER 05 :
Sort of.
SPEAKER 13 :
Sort of? Oh.
SPEAKER 05 :
That is, think about that. Incriminated themselves. Well, they used it. I think they used it in the trial. I’m not sure. Yeah. But there was one that I used to listen to.
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s a confession, man.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Now he’s in prison for life, I think.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Well, let me ask you this. Do you think – and just for our listeners, again, it’s 303-477-5600. We are now going an hour, so stay tuned for our second half. Just to leave everybody with a thought – Do you think the type of money you have can influence whether you go to prison or not?
SPEAKER 13 :
So whether one has money?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. To a certain extent. Okay.
SPEAKER 13 :
Money can keep you out of prison.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 13 :
I believe that.
SPEAKER 12 :
What makes you say that? What makes you say that?
SPEAKER 13 :
Johnny Cochran. Oh, well. Okay, yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
And OJ. OJ didn’t go to prison. If you have money for the attorney, for a defense attorney, I mean…
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s another thing that gets me. You’ve got young men and women. Because we’re trying to reach groups of 20 years old to 100 years old. What’s crazy about it is if you get the public defender, he could care less. He’s getting paid hourly. So your chances of not going to prison are probably so much higher if you can hire an attorney, right?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I think your chances are higher, but… I had a public defender, and I didn’t go to prison.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, there you go. Wow. So here I am bashing public defenders.
SPEAKER 05 :
I guess they were. But I had a praying mom.
SPEAKER 12 :
There’s the difference right there.
SPEAKER 05 :
You had the what? I had a praying mom.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yes, yes, yes. Wow. The Lord.
SPEAKER 05 :
And that’s the only reason why my sentence range got cut in half, and I ended up doing probation. And I kept my mouth shut.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s probably a huge one, too. Just kind of like shutting up and letting other people talk for you.
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s true. Plead the fifth, right?
SPEAKER 02 :
I don’t expect you to understand it. I just hope I can explain what it’s like to be a man. It’s a lonely road. And they don’t care about what It’s not about how you feel, but what you provide inside that home.
SPEAKER 07 :
Being a man is what you make it. You can’t always live up to expectations. You try to please everybody while you struggle, so you fake it and end up out of balance, compromising situations as a good man. has him do everything he could man you might find yourself feeling all alone inside a house you built that you
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
If you have a stone break, bullseye, star, or crack up to 18 inches in your windshield, Clearview’s got you covered. And if you need a full windshield replacement or calibration, Clearview’s got you covered too.
SPEAKER 06 :
Windshield, brand new, Clearview.
SPEAKER 13 :
Give us a call or text at 303-229-7442.
SPEAKER 05 :
Hello, my name is Reno Kirkendall, owner of Blueprint Electric, where we specialize in all that’s electrical, from residential service calls to ground-up commercial construction. You can reach us at 303-218-3555. Also, visit our website at bpedenver.com. Thank you for listening to A Guy’s Perspective here at KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 02 :
I don’t expect you to understand. I just hope I can explain what it’s like to be a man.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to A Guy’s Perspective, where they discuss real-life topics that men today are dealing with, whether married, single parent, or just single. We invite you to call into this live program with your comments and questions. And here they are.
SPEAKER 12 :
How’s it going again? This is our second part of A Guy’s Perspective. Again, you can reach us at 303-477-5600, and we are KLZ 560 AM. We are always on the radio Saturdays from 2 to 3, and like the first half, first 30 minutes, we were talking about the prison system and how it’s fell on so many people and how it doesn’t really work. Yes, and again, I’m Brock, and we’re going to go around the room and let people know who we are.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yep, Heath Hine here, the actor in Denver, Colorado.
SPEAKER 05 :
And Reno, the owner of Blueprint Electric, local electrician.
SPEAKER 12 :
And let people know about the Upper Room again.
SPEAKER 05 :
And the Upper Room Church at 1001 South Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado. If you need a place to fellowship, you’re more than welcome.
SPEAKER 12 :
And that’s Pastor Derwood Tate. If you’re looking for somebody to talk to, he’s the perfect person. Again, we’re talking about prison. And if you all know anything better than us, again, reach out to us at 303-477-5600. And one of the other things that I was reading about with prison is it changes people. Not necessarily for the good, because… it makes you lose your identity. It takes away your self-worth when you’re locked up. Do you think it was built like that on purpose? Because when you’re segregated from society, because we’re creatures of habit, we want to be around other people. That’s the reason, you know, COVID, people being locked down, it messed up their heads so much. So prison’s the same way, right?
SPEAKER 13 :
Absolutely. I mean, yeah, it’s meant to break one’s spirit. Wow. It’s meant to break a spirit.
SPEAKER 12 :
To just get you to do their will and obey what the prison’s telling you to do, basically.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, yeah. I mean, some people go there and thrive if you’re that minded, if you’re quite criminal minded or something. You can go there and that becomes your college. You can learn all of the dark, seedy ways of life. Wow, wow. Yeah, yeah. You could multiply your skill set, come out a better criminal.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because it makes you wonder, like, when you’re locked up, like, let’s be real. Take the zoo, for example. If you took those animals that were born in the zoo, let’s say you took a lion and you introduced them back into, like, the Serengeti, would that lion actually function like all the other lions?
SPEAKER 05 :
I’m not an expert, but I don’t think so. I mean, there’s things that are just a lion’s nature. Right. But if he was born in a zoo. Right. And he was fed continually. And he doesn’t need to hunt.
SPEAKER 13 :
Right. Does an animal become institutionalized?
SPEAKER 05 :
It makes you wonder, right? I wonder. I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t know if he would survive after being put in the zoo.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because I’m correlating that with prison. You have somebody who’s locked up there for 40 years, and their mental health has been deteriorated because they don’t have the things we have on the outside. Is it like an animal that you introduce back into the wild?
SPEAKER 13 :
But does an animal have the same capacity as humankind? I forget what it’s called, like bahit ma or something like that. It is what it is. An animal is what it is. Whereas we as human beings are… Um, like we’re creators. We, we think we feel we, um, uh, we’re sentient, uh, a lot of, a lot of other things that, um, the experiences we have in our life, we can either, um, learn from, grow from, or be consumed by. But I think an animal, man, uh, it’s, it’s primal, right? It’s, uh, eat, um, have sex, uh, procreate. Um, and, uh, I don’t know. Oh, it’s fight or flight, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
Fight or flight.
SPEAKER 13 :
The basis of instinct.
SPEAKER 12 :
And I think everybody’s built with fight or flight inside of them. We have a call coming in. But we’ll stay on this mental deterioration because at least from the way I think is that if you lock somebody up for years and you take them out and you give them no direction, it’s no different than taking a lion. Hello, whoever this is. Dre, you know, I. Oh, sweet.
SPEAKER 04 :
I’m just listening to you guys. And I did take criminal justice and, you know, because I wanted to be a cop, believe it or not. Right. So I remember there was a few things where there’s certain people that they would say have men’s right or otherwise the criminal mindset. And some people can thrive with that criminal mindset, knowing that, you know, I’m not good at this, but I’m great at that. You know, look at Al Capone, for instance. Organized crime. These guys had the ability to build a business, but they built a criminal entrepreneurship. And so intricate. And so, you know, to the point where they could actually… manipulate our government and have the new york harbor and such you know pay or do the payola scheme on them so that way they could make money and profit off of them protecting the new york city shores and whatnot i mean look it up so i’ve always wondered that too you know because
SPEAKER 12 :
know you obviously have your so well let us ask you this so do you think that when a person’s been locked up for 40 years is it kind of does their mind switch does does it do something to their mind or to their who they are as a human being i think they got used to it just like every one of you said i think they become institutionalized just like the lion
SPEAKER 04 :
How do they know how to survive when you’ve been given three meals? How do they know how to get a job? Basically, everything that we’re supposed to grow up and learn to do, whether it’s through college, on-the-job training, apprenticeship skills, what do prisons teach? And where’s the true reform? Really, there is no reform when you think about it. This is a profiteering scheme, in my opinion.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, thanks for calling, buddy, man, and we’ll look forward to seeing you into the studio next week, buddy.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, hey, guys, just real quick. And I wanted to be there with you guys, but, you know, first of all, thank you, KLZ. On their website, they have a GoFundMe set up for our son, Austin. You know, he tragically passed a few weeks ago. We had to let him go on live support, and I know you guys have supported him. you know, my family and such. And I just want to thank every listener out there and everybody on the podcast from and such, thanks for all your support. Yeah, guys, I just had to chime in. It’s a really good topic. There’s a lot to be said. Thank you.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, brother, thank you.
SPEAKER 12 :
Bless you. So that’s interesting because you do, when you’re segregated from society, you really do start to lose your identity somewhat. Like you said, you can either You can either learn from it and be a more corrupt criminal when you get out, or you can, like you guys said, you’ve got to make a choice of what path am I going to take from that point. Because isolation and loneliness separates us. We were never built to be isolated from everybody else. That’s just not the way God built us.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, in prison, you do have other guys to hang out with. If you’re a guy, if you’re a girl, you have other girls to hang out with. Yeah, but it’s not the same. I understand what you’re saying.
SPEAKER 13 :
You do until you don’t, and you get thrown into the shoe, into the hole.
SPEAKER 12 :
Do they still do that?
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I knew a guy who had like a 23-hour lockdown. Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, they still do that. Was it Supermax? Does Colorado have a Supermax? Yes, in Florence, Colorado.
SPEAKER 12 :
Really?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s where a lot of… High-profile prisoners are sent. Oh, my goodness.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because when you’re, like you said, if you’re locked down for 23 hours out of the day, why would you even want to live, man? If the judge hits you with a 50-year sentence and you’re locked down 22 hours out of the day, that would— Imagine what that does to your sanity. That’s what I was going to bring up. Sanity, yeah. Like, it would drive you crazy. Mm-hmm. I mean, how big do you guys think this room is right now, our studio? 12 by 12 or 10 by 10? 12 by 12?
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s about 12 by 12-ish.
SPEAKER 12 :
So if you’re locked up like that, I mean, it would drive you crazy.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, this is probably four times the size of a room, though, too.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, this is probably bigger than the room. I mean, listen, people, if y’all know better than us, give us a call at 303-477-5600. I’ve never been to prison, so this is an excellent topic that we’re learning about. But I do know people that have went to prison, and they hated it. Hey, absolutely hated it. There should be Google reviews on prisons.
SPEAKER 13 :
I’m advocating for Google reviews on prisons. One star. One star all day long.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is how I picture prison. I picture prison. You got your double bunk and you got your homeboy that’s your roommate. That dude’s going to be taking a crap next to you while you’re sleeping, man. That’s going to be a rough life, man. Prison is not for me. But one of our best friends had went to prison for a long time. And it shaped him up because he don’t want to go back.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah. Yeah, I don’t even know what the reform is, though. Like, how would it… I don’t know how anybody would institute, like, reform or if there ever was reform through prison.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, we have somebody else calling in.
SPEAKER 13 :
You know.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is wonderful. Yeah, people, this is a hot topic. It’s in you, yeah. It just… I just don’t think our prison system works, guys, at the end of the day. That’s me, though. I feel like it’s flawed because you’re standing in front of a judge who doesn’t know you. They’re presenting evidence in front of him. How’s it going? How are you doing, Monica?
SPEAKER 09 :
I’m good. How are you?
SPEAKER 13 :
Good. Welcome to A Guy’s Perspective.
SPEAKER 09 :
Good. I work in a prison in Denver.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, right on. Right on.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so I thought I’d give you guys a little bit of insight. Please do. The hole, they changed the hole. So if you get sent to the hole, you’re only there for 15 days. 15 days? Yeah, a lot of guys don’t like to be housed with other people. They don’t like to share cells. So what a lot of guys will do is they’ll get into a fight, so they get sent to the hole. And then as soon as they get out of the hole, they’ll get another fight, so they get sent back to the hole.
SPEAKER 11 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 09 :
And they just want their own cell. I mean, it’s kind of gotten ridiculous.
SPEAKER 12 :
Let me ask you this. Why don’t they have their own cells? Can you kind of tell us? Describe to us what the prison looks like from the inside.
SPEAKER 09 :
Well, I mean, there’s not enough cells to house everybody separately. They go based off of tiers, what your… you know, what your levels are. They go based off of numbers that they assign to you when you go through the processing thing. So they don’t put, like, they’re not going to put a pedophile with a gang member. They’re not going to put a KKK member with a black guy, you know?
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, so they keep everybody separated. Yeah.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, and then they also have to have the same amount of diversity in every unit. Wow. So they go based off of that, too.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you for shining a light on that for us. That really opens up our topic.
SPEAKER 13 :
And you’re a corrections officer?
SPEAKER 11 :
I am.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, awesome.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Well, thank you for keeping those boys in line.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, no problem.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thank you for calling.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yep, no problem. Have a good day.
SPEAKER 12 :
Bye. We’re coming to find out this is a hot topic, buddy. Did you hear what she said? That they will get locked up for 15 days. Get out and get locked back up because they want to be by themselves.
SPEAKER 05 :
To me, 15 days is a long time to be alone. But I mean, if that’s what you want, then it’s no big deal to go to the hole.
SPEAKER 12 :
God, that changes our whole thought process. I thought people would be like freaking out, but they’re like wanting to go be by themselves.
SPEAKER 13 :
You know?
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s interesting. That is very interesting.
SPEAKER 13 :
They want to get away from General Pop.
SPEAKER 12 :
And if everybody was listening to that, this is a good show. Like, she works at a correctional facility. So she knows firsthand.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
And did you, another thing she said that they keep everybody, I thought everyone was together. They keep them all segregated. They’re not going to put, you’re a black man from Chicago. They’re not going to put a black man from Chicago with a skinhead. Like it’s never going to happen.
SPEAKER 13 :
But maybe, maybe it comes down to like affiliations though. Like if he was affiliated with a gang or if, if, if the guy was affiliated with a gang or, or no, they just probably.
SPEAKER 12 :
No, it must be. It sounded like she said they were segregated. Like they keep them away from each other. Well, I know of a case where. Because, well, if you don’t mind, let us use you. You’re a black man from Chicago. You’re not going to room with a skinhead, some dude who is flat out white, German and Irish. You know what I’m saying? And he’s a skinhead and you’re a gang member. It’s never going to work.
SPEAKER 05 :
There was an actor that ended up going to prison and they put him in a cell with a. Either a skinhead or some type of… No, they put him in a cell with a Satanist.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 05 :
And he was a Christian, or he was trying to be a Christian. While he was in prison, he was trying to correct him? Okay. And the Satanist ended up killing the guy that used to be an actor.
SPEAKER 12 :
What in the world?
SPEAKER 05 :
So there’s a lot of instances that makes it make sense to be segregated or separated from certain groups.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, I mean, I can understand the benefit sometimes, but then it almost also perpetuates the division. So then that divide is so great that everybody’s just talking amongst themselves about themselves and about the others, and then when they get in gen pop or whatever, then there’s a hit or something.
SPEAKER 12 :
Right, right.
SPEAKER 13 :
But I don’t know what the solution is. Can’t we all just get along?
SPEAKER 12 :
So now let me ask you this. How can you tell, like, okay, so you know how, like, Everybody in prison is innocent, you know what I’m saying? Nobody’s ever going to be like, yeah, man, I’m in here because I was a hardened criminal. Everybody’s kind of like, yeah, this happened to me, so I got a bad rap. I get it. I would say the same thing. Everybody’s innocent. If I was in front of the judge, I’d be like, yeah, my home life sucks, dude. Give me 10 years instead of 100. You know, I would hit them with that scenario too. But at the end of the day, like, it makes you wonder how sincere people are. Like, if they go before the parole board, how do you know if this person’s telling you the truth, if they’ve been institutionalized for the last 20 years? You see what I’m saying? Like, there’s no, how do you determine the truth behind people? Like,
SPEAKER 05 :
I think the truth will just find itself out as far as the judge is a subject matter expert. Right, right. So they’re going to be able to see. They see things. Day after day, they’re dealing with criminals. They’re dealing with people who have been accused, whether they’re criminals or not. So I would think that they would be able to read through the lines for sincerity and different people trying to make a play.
SPEAKER 12 :
Do you think we’re, as a society, do you think we’re too hard on criminals?
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s a good question. I mean, what I want, I mean, obviously I like empathy and I would like people to be empathetic toward the plight of people and what leads them to that. And I think it’s easier when somebody has a friend, a family member that has been in the prison system to kind of… not necessarily exonerate that person of anything that they did of their crimes, but to kind of be a determining factor of like their character. They know the character of the person. They’re like, look, they just got hemmed up. They got, you know, tied up in this trap because they’re okay.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is good.
SPEAKER 05 :
So my son is in prison.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I believe the crime he committed, he deserves to be there. The time they gave him and the charge they charged him with is not right. Okay. It’s a first-degree murder. Your boy got first-degree murder. They proved medically that he didn’t kill him. And he still got a first-degree murder charge? Right. Wow. So when I say the system is flawed… Oh, then you know about it firsthand. Firsthand. When they say the medical evidence shows that he didn’t kill him, but we’re not changing it. The reason why I believe that they’re not changing it is because his victims were white.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, are you… If his victims were black…
SPEAKER 05 :
I don’t believe he would have got the same amount of time.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is deep. Again, you can call us at 303-477-5600. This is by far the best show we’ve ever had. Continue. Tell us all about this.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, without taking too long with details, he defended someone in the wrong way. Hit someone in the head, they fell, and they never got back up. The guy died of a ruptured spleen. So through the autopsy and the medical evidence, they showed that my son didn’t kill him. He committed a first-degree assault or assault with a deadly weapon, but he did not commit first-degree murder. So, yes, the system is very flawed.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, it doesn’t seem like a fair judgment call on that one, especially in light of the evidence that was provided.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, and he was told that he would get a higher sentence if he fought it. They make an example. They used a scare tactic to get him to cop to a plea so he wouldn’t get 100 years or whatever they were trying to give him.
SPEAKER 12 :
I cannot believe this brother hasn’t been talking the whole time like this. You could have took the whole show. This is deep. So you believe if it wasn’t a white person but it was another black person, you don’t think he would have got that much time?
SPEAKER 05 :
No, he might have got 10 years maybe. And I could say maybe that’s what he deserves, but 30? He got 32 years.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Can he parole out after a certain amount of time? If you don’t mind us asking you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, and I guess the way it works is the time that you – His end date can change.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, it can change. Does a judge have to change it?
SPEAKER 05 :
No, no.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, we have another person calling in. This is a hot topic, man. People want to know about this. So the judge has to change it or does the warden or somebody?
SPEAKER 05 :
The judge doesn’t change it, but his parole eligibility will change. Okay. What do you mean by that? As he gets, you know, good time or however they work in the prison.
SPEAKER 12 :
Mike, how are you doing? Talk to us, Mike.
SPEAKER 13 :
Good, we’re doing good. You’re talking to the guys. Good, Mike. Yeah, let us know.
SPEAKER 03 :
Oh, good. Well, I was talking about some of the, he was talking about court cases and everything. It’s the truth that basically there’s a book called California Criminal Procedure by Lori Levinson.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, we’re writing that down.
SPEAKER 03 :
It’s a VA fan book. It’s written in writing, which seems really unconscious to me, that D.A.s, cops are encouraged to write the reports in such a way to allow the D.A.s to overcharge the defendants being charged with crimes they did not commit.
SPEAKER 13 :
Really?
SPEAKER 03 :
In order to get them to take a deal.
SPEAKER 13 :
Uh-oh, you’re being scrambled now.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, Mike, that was some good stuff. We’re losing you, buddy. Can you come on back? Hello? Mike, I think we lost you.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, that’s what happens when we talk.
SPEAKER 12 :
We’ll keep going, Mike. If you hear us, we’ve got five more minutes, so call us back. So we’ll have to let you go. So what was the name of this book? Did you hear what he said? He said Larry Levinson. Larry Levinson. Okay, Larry. But I forgot the name of the book. We’ll look it up. Basically, he was going with what you just said, and the man doesn’t even know you.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I mean, it happened.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Wow. Did you hear what he said? The DA is paid to make sure you take a different charge. Right.
SPEAKER 13 :
So then we’re back to a for-profit industry. Oh, my God. And when money is involved, it changes the morality of an individual.
SPEAKER 12 :
This is wild. I mean, look at all the callers we’ve had call in today to talk about this, guys. So this must be true, what we’re hitting on, that there’s a profit behind the prison system. Well, that’s a fact. We have another caller. Let’s see who this gentleman is.
SPEAKER 05 :
I hope it’s Mike back. I really do hope it’s Mike back.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. Yeah. Or anybody in general. Everybody can call at 303-477-5600. Mike, how you doing, buddy?
SPEAKER 03 :
How you guys doing?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, we lost you, so tell us. Name that book one more time.
SPEAKER 03 :
California Criminal Procedure by Lori Levinson.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, Lori.
SPEAKER 03 :
I don’t know. I fought a case for three and a half years in Orange County Jail. And one of the things that people don’t realize is that the gangs run the jails and the prisons, especially in California. Okay. You’ve got the Southsiders, the Norteños. Southsiders are Mexican-American gangbangers. Norteños are the Mexicans from Mexico. They’re black and white. They’re all segregated into separate groups. And basically, if I’m a white guy, I run with the woods. If I want to put hands on another race, I’ve got to go and talk to their leader.
SPEAKER 13 :
Otherwise, you’d start a race war.
SPEAKER 03 :
Wow. Wow. Basically, it’s run by the leaders of the different races.
SPEAKER 12 :
Mike, well, it was good talking to you. We’ll have to let you go. We’ve got another caller calling in. We appreciate you, buddy. Thank you.
SPEAKER 03 :
Take care.
SPEAKER 13 :
Have a great day. Bye. Thank you so much. What a good book that he mentioned.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, we have another caller online, too, coming in. Everybody’s trying to chime in at one time. Our screen’s getting filled up, guys. Yeah, it’s lighting up, chiming in. Yeah, call in. Let us know. This is…
SPEAKER 08 :
I didn’t give a name.
SPEAKER 12 :
Hello, how are you doing? You’re talking to the guy’s perspective. Tell us about it.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, so my son is also in prison, and I believe that he should have gone to prison for some of it, but they added so many charges that weren’t true. Oh, my God. They said that if he… If he fought it, they would separate the charges so that he would get convicted on the one part. Wow.
SPEAKER 05 :
That sounds so familiar.
SPEAKER 08 :
If anything came out on the second part, then… You didn’t give us your name.
SPEAKER 12 :
She didn’t want to. Okay. Oh, perfect. Okay. Yeah, never mind. Sorry.
SPEAKER 08 :
So, that’s okay. And then the other thing is, as soon as he got there, guys were like, you’re going to pay me rent. And he was like, what? No, I’m not. And they’re like, yeah, you are. And so he had to get into some fights to hold his ground. And he said, and if they overcome you, they’ll throw you underneath the beds. There’s like a drawer. And they’ll throw you in there and spray chemicals on you and all kinds of stuff. And he said, so there’s a ton of politics in there. And just getting through, it’s like not just doing your time. You have to make it through life.
SPEAKER 12 :
um the shanking and there’s so many drugs in there it’s crazy thank you thank you for we have one minute left so we have to close the but we’re doing we’re doing a second episode so please call back next week thank you miss jane okay yes thank you we’ll look forward to hearing from you um guys it’s an amazing show today um again everybody tune in we’re going to do prison next week again all right yeah bye hot topic
SPEAKER 02 :
It’s a lonely road And they don’t care about what you know It’s not about how you feel But what you provide inside that home
