Prison is Torture.
| Today marks a horrific anniversary: the start of Ross’ seventh year in a cage. It is hard to believe he has been imprisoned for this long. If anyone had told me that my smart, handsome, sweet and life-loving son would spend this long wasting away in prison, I would not have believed them. When I look back on what I was doing six years ago, and all that has happened, it brings home how very long it has been. Ross says that when he looks back on the other phases of his life it is a rich tapestry of experience and growth. But this long stretch is just gray nothingness. It is truly a walking death. Despite this, Ross has used his prison years constructively and to help others. He has tutored, taught classes and supported fellow prisoners in many ways. Here are what one of them wrote the judge in a plea for a lenient sentence: “Ross always chose the moral high ground in every situation regardless of the personal hardship that it caused him personally. His level of empathy is extraordinary. On many occasions, he expressed his extreme dislike for violence on any level. He possesses great strength of character and a calm soft-spoken manner. Furthermore, he consistently committed acts of unusual kindness towards others.”― Michael Satterfield, cellmate at Metropolitan Detention Center, NY Before Ross’ arrest, I didn’t think much about our prison system. Now I know how horrific it is and that it keeps people warehoused for far too long. Ross wrote that it is actually torture, saying: “Imagine the worst torture you can think of that doesn’t leave the victim disabled, something you can’t deny is cruel: burning, flogging—take your pick. If the victims themselves would prefer this torture to imprisonment, the inescapable conclusion is that prison is worse, even more cruel. I, and every prisoner I have asked, would prefer any amount of pain and cruelty, for a limited duration, to the years and decades we’re forced to spend here — spirits crushed, hope abandoned, relegated to irrelevance.”I would add that it is prolonged torture for the prisoners’ families and loved ones too. We remain hopeful that Ross will be given a second chance to contribute to society. Please help us by signing and sharing our petition to #FreeRoss. |
| Join Over 200,000 People Who Want Ross Free! |
| Sign The Petition Now >> |
| Ross Ulbricht Legal Defense Fund LLC PO Box 163602 Austin, TX 78716 info@freeross.com |
