I was 16 when I went to prison.
My second night there I was with a brother....and another one came and said they wanted to show me something. Being new and curious...I followed into the cell block. We went into a type of hallway....it was badly lit.
As I got to the middle of the room people stepped out from the shadows...pushed a chair towards me and told me to be seated. There mus hve been 20 of them. I recognized some of them (all the "brothers" were housed together).
As I sat down one of them came to wards me and said to me:
"You are on trial. Sit up." Having being sentenced the day before and already in the prison I knew something was going to happen. The person then said to me: "you are charged with being green".
"Green?" I asked.
"Yes, Green!!" he stormed and proceeded to kick out the chair from under me sending me sprawling into the slate floor. I recognized him then. He was one of the brothers "taking the lead". He was 21, I was 16.
"What are you doing" I asked "what's going on?"
He said "you are found GUILTY as charged...you are Green." As he said that someone from behind me threw a blanket over my head and others pulled it down and held it fast. The blanket was wet.
I do not know how many times I was hit that night. I was dragged over to the showers and left there....bleeding from my right eye, nose and my mouth.
I do not reacall much more....of what happened that night.
The next morning I was in line for food....I received my food and walked over to get a slice of bread (it was always in a separate basket). The "judge" was on the other side of the basket. He said to me: "....welcome to XXXXXXX congregation!".
I thanked him and went to eat with the brothers. I was never able to do that to the other brothers who came in after me.