BILL BACK IN FLORIDA Nov 2, 2008

Dear Sis~
Well, I'm back here in the belly of the beast. On Friday, I was grabbed up and loaded into a prison transport van (driven by guards from a private prison transport company which contracts with the states) and driven back down here to Florida State Prison without explanation. For the 12 hour trip I was cuffed and shackled with the "black box", a device which painfully locks and covers the handcuffs into a rigid position which becomes very painful in short order, and placed in a small steel mesh "dog box" inside the van. From that vantage point I watched the various free-world people in their cars as we barrelled down I-95. This was my first time in the free world in 9 years (since my trip up to Virginia) and despite my lousy circumstances, I craned my neck to check out all the new cars and busy people going about their business. For me, that passes for entertainment...
When I was told to pack my property for transfer, my initial hunch was that my death warrant had been signed, or was about to be (which may still prove to be the case). Since I arrived, I've been treated like any other D/R prisoner. I'm back on the same wing and same floor I was on when I left in 1999. This place is even more dark, dank and decrepit than ever, the infrastructure is falling apart (leaking pipes and toilets, rusted-closed valves, roach and rat infested plumbing pipe alleys, paint peeling from the filthy cell walls) and the food is terrible. I was bummed out at first, but now my spirits are strong. I'm focusing on what I've got rather than what I don't. I'll write more when I get some more stamps, paper, envelopes and a pen!
Love, Bill