Murray Unit, Gatesville, Texas
23 years in solitary / ad seg
Sonya
PARKER
August 14, 2024
Words by SONYA PARKER
Photography by TEXAS LETTERS
My name is Sonya Lynn Parker. I have been incarcerated 30 years. And have spent 23 years of it in solitary confinement. I came to solitary the first time in 2006, and spent 18 years. During that time, I experienced so much pain, hardship, and saw things that I thought could never happen to a human being. The injustice experienced elevated my anger against the system, something terrible. As I was brought to Ad-seg, I was placed in Ad-seg on the lowest level #2 which means, your not about to be treated as a human being, if you even speak to loud and the officers don’t like it. Alot a the officers wait till you go to sleep. And place a sign on your door, that was a food loaf sign, which means you don’t get real food for 7# days. The loaf is alot of old food smashed together untill it’s hard. And some times the veggies are spoil even the meat to the point that it be weeks old! And that is the punishment that is given to us with force for #7 days. But some times the officers will not even give you one. If they don’t like you as a person there has even been to a point that at tray pick up, the trays are slopped and mixed with the mixed up food & juice & water, which is all nasty and sticky. Well! the officers get a pitcher & dip it in the slop bucket & take it to the offenders cell that’s on the food loaf & open the slot & dash it in the offenders cell & tell that offender, “Eat this Dog.” then walk off, it is un real! then there are times when the offenders will get so stressed out & sick that they become afraid & want to just die. Before the officers take their life. So, they cut to the bone, or hang with out anyone knowing. Because at this point they feel that they have nothing to go on! The odds are against them. Each officers pass it down to each shift. Not to feed this inmate, which means, the #7 days turn into 14# days. And if anyone speak up or report it will get the shit beat out of them, or that officer will call mental health, And let it be known that this offender now is about to cut, with out notice this offender is gassed with pepper spray. Yes! This the way us femals are treated & destroyed in the mind, in this place. But the thing about it is, every one take up for each other, the officers I mean
There was once an untold story which was very serious being that a life was taken. This happen about 5# years ago. An offender did 28 years before making parole. She was placed on the Crain unit waiting to go home. Because at that time thats how they handled things. Well, one morning the offender female got up to go to lunch. But the officer had already passed by her cell. The officer was an black male officer, so the offender told him if she could please go to lunch. (chow) because she didn’t have any food in her cell. The officer looked at her and stated, Back up off that door, & stop yelling before I write you a case. The female offender said, Please will you feed me. Thats when the male officer said, Bitch. If you don’t stop yelling, I will close your mouth for you! No one knew that I was still in my cell! Thats when he left the run & then came back, opened this offenders cell, went inside, Beat the dog shit out of her, to the point that she was begging! But this man kept telling her to shut the fuck up. We could hear the sound of his fist slamming down on her face & the way he was tossing her around in the cell. Then he came out, And walked out as if he saw a ghost. An hour later, ranking officers came out of no where, it’s about 8# officers rushed in the cell. Come to find out this officer that beat the offender, also hung this offender. And made it look like a suicide, which was not true. All this and more has messed me up mentally. And at this point it’s times I don’t want to hold it in any longer. Because nothing will be done. So! Now it’s time for me to speak out! Sonya Parker #774570