Edward Palmore

Labyrinth Edward Palmore

Most people who are talking about prison reform haven't spent one day in prison. I spent 6,679 consecutive days in police custody in county jail and in the Georgia Department of Corrections. Half of that time was spent in private prisons. The Lord God permitted me to obtain an education and become a military officer. Then he allowed me to spend almost two decades in private prison. There was rarely letters from home. No phone calls. The private prison where I was incarcerated had an inadequate legal library. There were no manuals. There were no primary references. There were no volumes with case law. There were no computers. And in contravention of the Supreme Court in Bounds v. Smith there was no legal assistance to assist inmates. I couldn't voice my concern as a prisoner, so I had to write and "make it plain" for others to read and rectify.