The story is quite recent, and therefore much is not known. A state prison system commissioner opens his front door and is greeted by flame and bullets. A grieving governor laments the killing of his friend, and initial reports suggest the prison official met his end because of a tiff with a disgruntled Saudi citizen in his state’s custody. Then, within hours another story emerged, but once again the media concentrated on the sensational, missing the story within the story. The press sped to tell of an Evan [Spencer Ebel], questions unasked and unexamined to the Colorado governor’s campaign. The son, we are told, was close to a white supremacist prison gang. Suddenly, we are knee deep in speculation about white supremacist groups, as if this is the motivation for the slaying of the state’s prison chief. Lost in the hoopla is a comment by state officials that Ebel left prison in January 2013 after significant time spent in solitary. Think about that.
If a man leaves prison and in a matter of mere weeks embarks on a killing spree—again, we don’t know this, but it is alleged—shouldn’t we examine his experiences in prison? Shouldn’t we at least think about what happened to him during solitary confinement? What forces so embittered him that he would rather die than endure it again? Questions unasked and unexamined. Solitary confinement experts tell us its torture, plain and simple, that it drives men mad. One thing is certain: Evan Ebel resolved to never return, no matter what. From in prison nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noel Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
