On The Row...

A day on one of Alabama's death row blocks... Twenty Two men live their remaining days in a small block of 8 by 10 cells and wait for a day they hope will never come. The buiding is small and dark, with an interesting energy-- it is set apart, all by itself in this large maximum security prison. This place is unique; the warden allows these men 6-8 hours of free time together where they play cards, watch tv, or just hang out. This is rare, as most death row inmates live out their lives in solitary confinement. These guys are like a family-- white, black, and hispanic-- all in the same boat... I don't feel the usual prison tension as much in there as I do the general population; they're not as much on edge, and there is definitely not the typical threat of violence. I felt just about every emotion over the hours with them: hope and despair; joy and pain; anger and laughter; faith and fear-- no, that's not true, I felt no fear. These men are becoming my friends; they were overjoyed to see me-- and I was thrilled to see them (I missed them). One day it will be very hard to say goodbye... Hatred is hard to accomplish up close, and love is definitely an inside job... Until we meet again.