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12/3/19 I’m sure everyone has someone who is deemed “out of sight, out of mind.” You’ll never know how it doesn’t rehabilitate, it slowly kills your spirit. Why? Because we prisoners are deemed criminals and need to be broken. If you’re struggling for employment, work for a federal prison. It’s a booming business model. But … 5/3/20 (Daughter’s Graduation day) Serving my first prison sentence (and a federal one at that) I’ve come to learn and accept that this is a different world with its own codes/laws (spoken & unspoken) amongst prisoners and staff. The hardest is trying to communicate the flaws and injustices that goes on in here. You’d think … Continue reading Federal Prison Jargon of Isolation – Charlie Castillo 12/12/19 I always felt that earth’s most oppressed people were women. With the fantasies of Joan the ark, I often imagined what happened in the virgin birth. God (nature) allowed Mary to reproduce by herself. Some reptiles have this ability but they are females who produce genetic replicas. Mary had a daughter, who disappeared during … I am from a single black mom with her being from an upbringing that’s wrought with damage, hard to understand it from a Puerto Rican dad I don’t know, so nope I can’t hold a convo in Spanish, Outlandish because… I am from another world, my home is called Rizq. It’s a planet. I’m from … 7/12/20 After quitting my ambition as an artist, a person reached out and gave me serious encouragement. She told me that my wit and word art is good. Or I should keep trying. I then got a Cellie who stated my work was amazing. I thanked him with a wave of doubt and the urge … Continue reading Imoan Wollof I Samurai Theory – Charlie Castillo 12/6/19 First off I intended this bio to be sent to Prisoners who are unsure as what to draw. I was telling Prisoners about JAC and how they are a wonderful organization. Inmates are ignored by so many non-profits who seem to only pay lip service. I wanted to endorse the arts program and the … In this piece I decided my love for movies sort of defines who I am and the perspectives I favor. I am a movie fanatic, I tried to pick the first 37 full-length films I’d watch on a romantic date. Comedy, romance, sci-fi, action, etc, etc. I had fun. My only fear? I erred in … 12/3/19 I received a letter from a person who understood and complimented my art. It made me feel special. Then I wondered if, like a preschool school teacher, she told everyone their art was amazing. I no longer felt special. Then I wondered why I even cared to be special. Insecurity? Validation? Why not be … A simple cartoon that explains how staff members tell other prisoners when they attempt to file grievances. In prison, a grievance is taboo. It is a form of snitching. I heard of a guy who was raped and reported the rape to be stabbed up later for snitching. Oh what a world I live in… … Recreated on paper 5/23/20 (Son’s Birthday) While in isolation, I had cell rotation (a Federal Security measure where inmates rotate cells every 21 days – at least), and thinking about an inmate who had just killed himself and how I didn’t have the money to call my son and tell him I love him on … 12/11/2019 In prison staff can get away with putting prohibitions on almost anything, in the name of Security. Claims of bats and spiked poles made out of paper, keeps a person from getting a sufficient amount of paper. An inmate must recycle staples and scotch tape. Isolation is a vacuum where a prisoner has one … Continue reading Rorschach’s Secret Weapon – Charlie Castillo I’ve always wondered about Extra Terrestrials. Do they exist? What do they look like? Do they come in peace or wage war? Many people say they’d run the other way if they saw an E.T. Sadly, the way some humans seem to see the norms of greed, hate, jealousy, indifference and bias, I sort of … Being a federal inmate and former standup comedian allowed me to view America’s prisons with empathy and hands on experience. Some blame the staff for volatile conditions. Some blame the prisoners. To me, both perpetuate a cycle of evil. Whether you get behind the walls through a sentence from a federal court or take a … Continue reading Two Sides of Incarceration – Charlie Castillo 8/26/20 My mentor latched on to the “Jail within a jail” concept. So I created “Welcome to http://www.Bop.gov” cartoon. It’s two Cell-mates (cellies) who are confined in a cell, looking out. Thing is, there’s a prisoner who is also caged in a mental cell. (thoughts) I’ve heard that the left panel alone suffice. But this … 12/8/19 I had someone tell me, and other people who I shared my pieces with, that I didn’t do real art. When questioned he explained that real art didn’t use words. I guess the Campbell’s soup thing went over his head. Even so, I think anything expressed can be art. I used to marvel at … CLIO’S Gift – Charlie Castillo
Federal Prison Jargon of Isolation – Charlie Castillo
God’s Secret – Charlie Castillo
I Am From – Charlie Castillo
Imoan Wollof I Samurai Theory – Charlie Castillo
Joker’s Wheel-o-Life – Charlie Castillo
Movie Date Nite 37 – Charlie Castillo
NO ONE’S SPECIAL – Charlie Castillo
Prison Life Fact 28 – Charlie Castillo
Prizon Grapheetee Zen – Charlie Castillo
Rorschach’s Secret Weapon – Charlie Castillo
Run From the Humans – Charlie Castillo
Two Sides of Incarceration – Charlie Castillo
Welcome to the Bop.gov – Charlie Castillo
Worded Art – Charlie Castillo
Really made my day.. Felt like I was sitting next to you..
Dope . Your drawings help us see things from your world