inside the sheriff al cannon detention center, inmate exercise is limited to what can be done in open-air rec yards. technically, inmates are not supposed to exercise anywhere else. though it s the type of minor violation some officers might let slide if it s not causing a problem. but today, a pair of cell mates has kicked it up a notch. for all you workout lovers, you re going to love this. david ratliff jr. and joshua adahar have used a ripped-up mattress cover, blankets, water bottles, and a canteen box filled with books to create their own weight machine. you all ready? this is the bowflex in prison. try stuff like this. while the workout rates highly on the creative scale, it doesn t take long for staff to spot the goings-on. and the gym is about to go out of business. turn around for me, put your
i could see evil in his eyes. i mean, i was that night i was scared. i had never feared him ever before. but that night, i was worried. he held a knife to my throat that night. missy s husband was eventually convicted of assault and served 3 1/2 months in this very jail. while he was incarcerated his mother died. they refused to let him go to her service. and i think that was the beginning of his real hate for life and for me. when he was released from jail, missy s husband, david ratliff sr. murdered missy s mother. three days later, while on the run from authorities, he hid in the attic of his family s home and shot missy through a vent. i was setting at the kitchen table and my house lit up like a flash of lightning. i ve never heard a gunshot before. i didn t even know what it was. well i heard my brother s
david ratliff jr. and joshua adahar have used a ripped-up mattress cover, blankets, water bottles, and a canteen box filled with books to create their own weight machine. you all ready? this is the bowflex in prison. try stuff like this. while the workout rates highly on the creative scale, it doesn t take long for staff to spot the goings-on. and the gym is about to go out of business. turn around for me, put your hans on the wall. what s up? what s up? this is contraband. what is? everything i m taking out of this room. contraband? to what, a blanket? to a matt cover? water bottles? the inmates can be charged by the county for destruction of county property. and they deny it. they ll be reprimanded and probably lose four hours rec. that s about the most. and they ll pay for the destruction of the property.
screaming, he s in the house. he s shooting. i still didn t know that this was a gun that i was hearing. i didn t know that i had been shot. and my father came, grabbed me. we heard another shot. that shot was david killing himself. the tragedy sent missy s son, david ratliff jr. who, at the time was 21, on a downward spiral. 21-year-old man. how did you deal with that? not the right way. i started my drug use took a whole other level. i started shooting heroin, shooting whatever i could. i mean, that was it. i was numbing myself to complete numbness. kept coming to jail. kept getting other chances. what is your relationship with your mom now?
have other privileges restored. ready to eat some food, some conteen. shave. looking pretty rough. i actually just got a mirror i could see myself in. i look bad. ratliff is now in the same unit as adrian smalls, who has been writing spoken word pieces while awaiting trial. stand up, black man, stand up and rise to power. this is our year, our month, new day and the time is ours. we must all crawl before we walk and also think before we speak. because the blood of our black brothers mixed with the tears of our black mothers have cried our very own red sea. smalls hopes to reach a plea deal on his charge of assault and battery, the result of a punch that left another man brain damaged and in a coma. this is where i spend a lot of my time at right now. this is like my outlet. i call it my lab. i sit and write my mind. write what i think. before you strap on your combat