prisoners of age

Ron LevinePhotographer / Producerwww.prisonersofage.com

www.ronlevinephotography.com

Prisoners of AgePrisoners of AgeImages of the Elderly in PrisonImages of the Elderly in Prison

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“We do have a habitual offender act in Alabama. It has increased our prison population tremendously, especially after three strikes. If the crime rate remains as it is, nationwide you’re going to see an older aged inmate population as time goes on. There’s going to be a need for more and more facilities to handle aged and infirm inmates.”

- Billy Owen, Warden, Hamilton A&I

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“ It’s hard.  Its hard in here. Because after so long you lose support of your family. I have children, but the last I’ve heard from them was in 2005.

I’m in here for ‘helping my family’. I learnt my lesson. That won’t happen again....but y’see they don’t help me....I just take care of myself the best that I can…”

- Theda Rice, 77, Murder

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“ Well, now... God happened, and because I got this stroke, and cause of my knee I can't run no more. But at the time, I could run. And I could go like the wind, and they never could catch me. But the last time I escaped, it was 1962. They didn't catch me till 1992. “

-William ‘Tex’ Johnson, 67, Theft

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“ Well, conditioning will make you do most things. Couldn't make ends meet. I needed money to pay for my wife's hospital bills. We were both sick. She's in the hospital now. She's got an operation on her legs. Can't walk around, but she's doing pretty good. ”

-Robert Cowlin, 75, Trafficking

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“ I had trouble with a police officer, in Utah. That's why I'm all the way here. He shot me. I shot him back. That's what put me in trouble..

He didn't hurt me too bad. I didn't hurt him too bad. And then they gave me ten years for that. ”

- John Wilson, 76, Attempted Murder

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“ Well, I took up with a man's wife. Me and her'd been living together for 5 years. Me and him's been up about it a couple times. He come over one night, I was bad drunk. She was too. Me and him got to argue. I brought out the ball bat. She's lying on the bed. And I grab the ball bat to kill him. No use denying that. I'm gonna kill him. Just as I swung at him, she run out and run between me and him and caught her right there- killed her deader than a doornail. “

- Thurmon Jetton, 68, Murder

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“A lot of these guys will die here. A large portion of the older inmates have spent the largest portion of their life in prison.

And with their criminal record, it’s really hard for them to ever get parole in the state of Alabama. They’ll end up dying here.

They realize, at their point of time in life, if they can tell their story, if they can show their picture to a young man, and make them understand that this is what happens to you after 20 or 30 or 40 years of crime, I think they’d like to make that point. “

- Billy Owen, Warden, Hamilton A&I

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“ We have a handful a year that just absolutely refuse parole.

You take a person, you put him in the system, and

you take away responsibilities from him. You tell him when to get up, you tell him when to sleep, you tell

him when to eat, everything. And then you take him

and put him back into society and expect him to be responsible. He doesn't know what responsibility is.

Because you've taken that away from him. ”

-Gary Crutchfield, Assistant Warden, McCain

Correctional

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“I shot a woman. Killed her. That put me

in here. I had the devil

in me ... I wouldn’t do nothing like that now.”

-Roland Campbell, 82,

Murder

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“ I won’t make it. I had a heart attack in prison. I have no car. No one to take me. I’ll be lucky to make 5 weeks what with downtown Dayton and all the traffic and all. I have to make some kind of program, too, but at 80 years old what are you gonna teach somebody about sex. “

-Milton Chance, 77, Sex Crime

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“ I’ve been in prison for 35 years for robbery and attempted murder. I started stealing when I was 15. I robbed banks. I always worked alone. In 1994, I was caught for attempted murder. I had mixed booze and medications. He isn’t dead.

In 1996 I got lung cancer. Now, I’m getting treated but they won’t release me. They’re waiting for me to die. “

- Jules Sauvageau, 59, Attempted Murder

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“ He would go into black moods. Very black moods where he wouldn’t speak to me for 2 or 3 weeks. He would stay out in the garage and only come in for meals.

He started hitting on my daughter. That’s what done it. She was 28.

I’m not one that displays my feelings that much, but that morning I just snapped. I couldn’t take it any longer, I couldn’t think of a way out.I was very hungry.”

-Julie Hynes, 52, Second Degree Murder

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“ If they let me out, fine. And if they don’t, that’s fine too. What’s the difference? I got 15 years left. When you get to the point in your life that you don’t care anymore, what happens? Then that’s it. You got to have something to reach out for. Hopefully, you might see a little flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. But she’s awfully dim. “

-Robert Henderson, 70, Murder

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“ There’s a heavy price to pay for my stubbornness, for my pride, for my ego. And this is it. This is it. A buddy says, “Well, you won.” I said, how did I win? He goes, “Well, you’re alive and they’re dead.” I go, how did I win? Yes, they’re dead, I’m going away for life. Who the hell won out of this situation? Who won?”

-Edward Francis, 50, Murder 28

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“ My husband was an ex-cop... We were married 43 years... He had been beating me around...

All I know is , when I came to, the gun was laying there and he was in the chair with a bullet hole in the back of his head.”

-Ethel Dedmon, 65, Murder

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