I was there in the late 80s. I am white I was a drug addict from the Bronx. The only reason I can think of why I survived is someone from above was looking out for me. I saw people get cut. I seen this one black kid who they cut his face so many times with a razor that he didn’t look human anymore. This guy was very big and muscular. I always wondered what happened to him for some reason I survived. Maybe it’s my personality maybe God was looking out for me when I was there they were not many gangs they were just starting because I was a drug addict. I was mostly in the south Bronx and I met a lot of people Looking back the people that I hung out with I think started the gang things they were all Puerto Rican and they had a lot of respect. Somehow I fit in with this group that is the only reason why I survived. There was another white guy in the module, the module where I was was called El Salvador, just to give you an idea of the violence that went on if i backed away from it I would’ve been doing laundry with the other white guy for all the black guys and getting abused because I stood with the Spanish. I did not get abused. I was there for about four months when I left, I went to a program and I’ve never done drugs again, I’m in a program and worked for the city for 28 years the only way to survive there is to absolutely show no fear the second you act nervous you’re dead at the time I had the ability nothing bothered me guy got his throat cut it was bleeding I would just make sure none of the blood got on me. everything that you say about the mentally ill is true they used to beat them up for sport literally see if they could knock them out with one punch. They would take turns I never hit anybody that was like that and I felt very bad on the inside, but like I said you can’t show it, your book is true those things go on there. They’re probably much worse now there is no way to make that place anything but what it is there are a few good people even a few good guards but most of them I believe have something to prove and they take it out on the inmates and the inmates won’t stand for it and that’s where the trouble lies. I saw it with my own eyes.