Ex-con Richmonder posts photo series about life behind “overcrowded” bars in Henrico County Jail

by | Jun 17, 2015 | POLITICS

An unidentified woman has taken to the internet to share her story of incarceration and ex-con life.


An unidentified woman has taken to the internet to share her story of incarceration and ex-con life.

The women’s story starts with her battle with drug addiction and her court date and eventual release. Now she says shes facing homelessness as her ex-felon status have left her unemployable.

She claims to have been a former IT consultant who was busted for heroin possession and had spent time in Henrico County Jail West.

She claimed the facility was “absolutely disgusting and overcrowded” and they were sleeping 6 to a cell. How did they fit six people into a cell built for two? “1 on each bunk then 4 mats laid out horizontally (so the feet are under the bottom bunk),” she writes.

The woman also detailed her new love of prison tattoos, going as far as divulging the recipe and method used behind bars:

“Our “tattoo gun” was made from a ball point pen, a staple that was sharpened with a nail file, and some string from a sheet. Ink is made by burning Vaseline and collecting the soot then mixing it with state shampoo.

In what has to be the most “Orange is the New Black” part of her story, how she made money to shop at the canteen, and how she ate after hours are both explained.

“We “cook” with the things you can buy on canteen. I didn’t get canteen often and when I did it was only a few dollars worth of food, so I would draw things for people or gamble on spades games to earn food. A swole (pictured below) is basically ramen noodles, various chips, beef and cheese sticks, hot pickle, and cheese puffs all crushed up then thrown in a bag with some hot water, squished around for a bit then eaten.”

Since getting posted on imgur yesterday afternoon the album has amassed about 380K views.

Take a look through her photo collection below:

So I Just Came Home From Jail

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




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