>> do you want to explain to me why i should not put you in prison? >> you were tired when i gave you a five-year prison sentence before? >> a drug addicted mother asks a judge to keep her out of prison. >> tell my dude look for someone who has class ral. >> just brought in on drug charges, a young man attempts to make bail. while another awaits sentencing for an unthinkable crime.

>> a young lady was assaulted. drug behind the library. beaten within an inch of her life and brutally raped. >> if it was a crime to be in love then i'm guilty because i'm in love with you. >> he seeks a lover and a benefactor. >> scary is not the word but gives you the creeps. [ laughter ] ♪ with an average of 361 days of sunshine per year, life in tampa, florida would seem like paradise. but crime knows no geographical bounds.

on any given day, the two sprawling facilities that make up tampa's hillsborough county jail system house 3,000 men and women. >> the hands should be on the wall. >> most only stand accused of crime and are awaiting trial. others are serving short sentences of one year or less. they all begin the incarceration in the intake department. but the crimes range from horrific to petty and everything in between. >> i'm very photogenic. >> reporter: deandre barnes was arrested on charges of cocaine and marijuana possession with intent to tell. he plans to plead not guilty. >> who is that? >> my baby mama. >> you got that drama? >> if he seems at ease here that might be because this is his third stay at hillsborough county.

he is familiar with the full body scan chair and facial recognition scanners to look for weapons in body cavities. >> barnes. >> i know you're barnes. go in, sir. welcome back. >> i said i wouldn't come back and i'm back. i let myself down. >> yeah it is still the same. i guess i'll make my bed up. >> though barnes has been arrest ad half dozen times, the charges haven't only struck. he only has one prior conviction for obstructing a law enforcement officer. >> coming to jail i ain't going to lie. how the hell am i going to get myself out of the situation. >> he hopes to leave in a couple of days on bail. but life of hillsborough county is a world of extremes.

another young man confined here faces the possibility of never seeing home again. >> just use this time as best i can and hope i get out. >> 19-year-old kendrick morris was charged with two counts of sexual battery with a deadly weapon. he is awaiting sentencing. prosecutors are looking for 120 years. >> a young lady was going to the community library, she was assaulted, drug behind the library, beaten within an inch of her life and brutally raped. >> after being taken into custody he was connected to another assault ten months earlier. >> it has been the assailant in the rape of an elderly daycare worker. >> he was also convicted of that crime and in jail awaiting sentencing. he still claims he's innocent. >> they say anything else, armed robbery or something like that, maybe i will say i'm capable of it but rape no, attacking a

girl, no. hitting a girl, no. at the end of the day that's just not me. after looking back on the case and how we handled it in defense and how our closing statement was, the jury had no choice but to say guilty in the end. we didn't do a good job of coming in the evidence. the closing arguments was not concise or clear. all they could have said was guilty. >> the library victim who was 17 at the time of the attack was beaten so badly she sustained brain damage and can no longer see, walk, or talk. >> my daughter and stepdaughter go to the library where this occurred. this happened less than a mile from where i lived and the community is happy to have someone like him off the streets.

as a father and member of the community it's difficult to keep that separation between my professional and personal self. i try to focus on the fact that he is not a management problem. he -- he is a model confinement to me. never gives us any problems and does everything asked of him. the requirements of my profession is to treat him no differently than i would a petty thief and that takes practice. it really does. >> morris was arrested when he was 16 and has been at the jail for three years now. he is housed in the confinement unit. because of the nature of his crime. >> if word got out he brutally assaulted an elderly woman and a young girl and beat the girl into a vegetative state. he would probably suffer a similar fate. it's a situation we cannot risk. we could be held liable for not protecting him. for that reason he is kept here. >> he gets an hour of recreation

time outside his cell six days a week. to pass the rest of the time he exercises, reads and draws. >> at the end of the day i can walk out of here right now and have a job that could make me money. i could do something and be worth something. >> i want to do a religious piece where the mother was the main, you know, character. it was after when my mom was crying or whatever. how many times would anyone think about how it affects the mother. she has to have her child tooken away or whatever. >> we will be moving problematic inmates today. the majority of the inmate housed down there are those with histories of assaulting us and are our disciplinary management problems. >> the jail performs a high risk move of dangerous inmates. >> when i met inmate jackson he gave me that back of my neck hair standing up vibe. >> i will be willing to try to

kill any and everyone that talks or looks at you. >> accused of rape and murder, a male inmate courts a female inmate.

like many other newly arrived inmates at the hillsborough county jail in florida, deandre barnes is going through drug withdrawal. >> i told the nurse that i was coming down with the rashes and about five or six of them a day. and he told me use this chance to get clean because it is messing up my heart. 20 months he said. 20 months. i go through this all the time. battle with this, come down,

having to worry about getting just a little bit not to be sick. >> how do you feel after the detox? >> miserable. i feel sick. my stomach is hurting but it's all good. >> it is going to get worse though. your fourth or fifth day is going to be the worst. >> i have no appetite. >> you probably want to sleep far few days. >> rather than sleep barnes decided to focus on getting out of jail. the first step is calling a bail bondsman. >> yeah i'm deandre barnes. i'm in jail for two felonies and two misdemeanors. >> the bail has been set at $26,000. he will be released if he can pay a bondsman $2600 plus collateral. >> 2,600. he just hung up.

>> barnes next reaches out to a family member. >> well can you just call my dad and look for someone who has collateral. i appreciate it. i'll check back in with you tomorrow. all right. i need somebody with collateral. >> until he makes bail barnes will reside in one of the low-security housing units but some inmates pose a greater threat to security. they are in the confinement unit locked down 23 hours a day. today 180 will be moved to a new confinement unit and staff is taking an abundance of caution. >> good morning. today we'll relocate the inmates

for refurbishment. we will be moving our most problematic inmates today. as you know the majority of inmates down there have histories of assaulting us and are disciplinary management problems. you will have binder chains available to you unless they require a box chain. there are ten down there that will be in box chains. >> we will do it in numbers. two to three deputies. maybe four. >> just grab a set of chains. 205, one man. 206 has assaulted us before. two man with a box chain. >> one of the inmates on the move is esteban. >> i have got in trouble with the guards. i attempted to batter one of the deps. they say i try to beat him up but it was just i guess it was a misdirect of anger.

>> he is just combative. so we have to be more cautious with him. >> he was identified as a certified member of the bloods but a high-ranking member. >> he has been charged with three counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder. he pled not guilty to all charges. >> i'm a fighter, not a killer. i'm a go-to man. i like money. i like the finer things in life. i'm a pretty boy in the streets. that's what i am. >> you got your pillow in there too? >> yeah. >> the inmates are moved in small groups with a team of deputies assigned to each individual. it is a 600 yard walk from 3 delta to 1 delta but there is no rushing. >> we are not here to do i can

qui quickly. we're here to do it safely and thoroughly. >> safety is always a priority and the refurbished housing unit has enhancements. >> that is a 12-year-old building we moved out of. this is a new building. some of the thing they incorporated into the new housing unit is new technology and door controls. it will make it safer. >> merchan approves of some of the changes as well. >> it is nicer and cleaner. >> take off your uniform. >> overall the best change i like is the uniform. i guess they decided to have us wear red since we're in confinement. i was getting tired of orange. making me feel like an orange pumpkin. i mean, i'm a blood. right? so my favorite color is red overall. the bloods wear red. so it makes me feel more comfortable. it brings a smile to my face. look at my cheeks.

>> in addition to his history of assaulting staff, his gang affiliation is another reason he's in confinement. >> if you throw up gang signs, mention you in a gang or trying to recruit for the gang you will be confined in here. >> that's what society calls as you gang. but i'm not a gang member. i'm part of a brotherhood, a nation. this is my church. this is my religion. this is what i believe in. you feel me? i am a blood. i swore to myself that this is what i'm going to do the rest of my life. >> coming up an accused murderer and rapist seeks a relationship. >> i want to be the girl in your dreams tonight. only god can judge us.

at the hillsborough county jail in tampa, florida it's not just the inmates who must cope with the impact of incarceration.

>> don't kick yourself any more. >> we slip, we fall but we have to get up. >> sonya is concerned about the affect her arrest is having on her family. she is in jail for violating her probation. >> i have two girls and i don't want to be a role model thinking that my girls think it is cute to go jail or use drugs or depend on a man. i don't want them to make the mistakes i've made. there's no way in hell. >> tell me what keeps bringing you back here. >> the drugs to be honest with you. >> sergeant sarah herman takes a personal interest in many of hillsborough county's female inmates and wants to discuss her plan to get back on track. >> i'm ready for a change and ready to be with my babies and my family. >> how old are they. >> 3, and 14.

>> 3, and 14. >> what is going to keep you from not coming here again is this. >> i'm willing to change. >> what's your plan? >> to complete my ged and finish school to find a job and keep my busy and occupied. >> she didn't start taking drugs until she was 24 and addiction quickly took after her life. >> each day you are to choose and decide what is sonya going to do today? if it doesn't feel right, leave. run. run, run, run. and i'm happy you have your mind set on doing the right thing. >> i thank you and appreciate it. >> no problem. >> thanks. >> she had a five year suspended prison sentence and was in a drug treatment program when she took a meth don't pill and failed a drug test. >> we want to make sure you don't come back here. >> i threw it all the way just to try to get high on my

birthday. i'm thinking let me get high. i'm going to get away with it. it wasn't like that. >> she further violated her probation by leaving the treatment facility after failing the drug test and may have to serve her five-year suspended prison sentence. >> i'm nervous going to the court. it is up to the judge. that scares me. maybe she has a bad day or fed up with me bs'ing her and send me up the road. >> most inmates live with the same anxieties as the impact of a judge or jury impacts their lives forever. but each day there is one event that takes the mind off of their uncertain future, mail call. >> you get your mail? >> not yet. i wish, man. >> this is very important to them.

this is their communication to the outside when that they are not using the telephones or have visitation. this is what they have got. >> but not everyone is lucky enough to receive mail. kenneth jackson rarely hears from his family or anyone else. >> it would be nice to get mail coming in. it doesn't of to be every day. it could be once a month. just every now and again. >> when jackson got a love >> when jackson got a love letter it is a welcome surprise. >> i see a sweet person inside you. you must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. at least you have got me on your side if that means anything.

i hope you write me back soon and keep your sexy ass out of trouble. love always. and on the back it says, p.s., i want to be the girl in your dreams tonight. only god can judge us in big bold letters. >> the letter is from a female inmate that jackson says he met at court. he says she was in a holding cell and they communicated using jail house sign language. >> i signed my name and booking number and she got a letter to me. actually when i got it i was shocked by it. the personal stuff she put in there and don't know what i did or my charges or nothing. >> if she had known his charges jackson's pen pal may have thought twice about writing. >> i was accused of raping and killing and burning a woman inside her vehicle. but i did not do this. why rape someone when you can

give someone $20 to get what i want? >> jackson was arrested on murder, sexual battery and arson charges after serving a prison sentence for grand theft of a motor vehicle. he has pled not guilty for the charges and has been at the jail three years awaiting trial. >> when i first met inmate jackson, he gave me that back of my neck hair standing up kind of vibe. >> after 17 years in law enforcement, machter deputy stephen gray has learned to trust his instincts. his first impression was supported when he looked at the paperwork. >> he has a rap sheet of everything from insolence to staff members physically and verbally. kicking on the door, violent behavior. and if you add up the 15 or 16 individual pas worth it spells

out lock down for the duration of his time of his stay here at hillsborough county. >> in the meantime jackson can write to his pen pal. >> it says what is up my true love. i would be [ bleep ] without you. i would be willing to kill anyone who talks to you or looks at you. anyways, why don't you tell me you loved me before you left? if it is a crime to be in love then i'm guilty because i'm in love with you. so don't play with my heart, okay? >> scary's not the word but gives you the creeps. >> [ laughter ] >> coming up -- >> first i make the barbecued chicken. >> esteban whips up a snack. >> the pickle juice gives you the hot sauce. >> and kenneth jackson turns his attention from women to men. >> treat them like they're my girlfriend even though they ain't.

it's the hawks. >> who they losing to?

philly again? >> yeah. >> i spend my days in jail sleeping when i first got in here. then i got more active. i knew it could break you or help you. >> esteban is awaiting trial on murder charges and has been in the jail in tampa, florida for a year. but his stay hasn't been without some benefits. >> i started reading anywhere between two to four books a week. now i'm reading anywhere between three to five books a week. i write letters. i draw. i do pushups a thousand every day. exercise to keep my mind and my body occupied. >> line up on this side please. >> with the same routine one day of the week can feel like any

other. but mondays brings something to look forward to. it's delivery day for jail canteen. >> i get canteen. the food is not that bad. it's just the quantity. the quantity is too little. i'm a grown man. >> canteen around here is like gold to them. it is probably one of the most important things aside from getting a visit or a letter. they are allowed to order something different from the normal food we provide to them. >> today merchan is making a jailhouse barbecued chicken. >> first i put the rice the barbecue chips and crumble them, mustard and sugar. put it in there and shake it up. put in the chicken and make the hot sauce. the pickle juice will give you

the juice of the hot sauce. this is the messiest part right here. right now putting the pickles and the sausages together. then take the hot chips and mix it all together. i can't top martha stewart. but this is the result you get. >> delivering canteen to the inmates is no small task. the corporal and the deputies will distribute 125 orders in one housing unit alone. >> it's one of the most stressful times for the deputies as well as the inmates because we know that there is a lot of food. there is a lot that are indigent. they don't have money in their fund and they steal. >> stealing the stuff being that the canteen means so much it can cause fights whether is it inmates or staff members

responding to the fights. it is a big deal for everybody. >> because it has the potential to lead to violence even the theft of the smallest item is investigated. daniel is awaiting trial on charges of aggravated stalking, possession of a controlled substance and theft. he pled not guilty. but now he has a new problem on his hands.

>> you said you didn't steal? >> i didn't steal anything. i had the receipt. i had the canteen in my box. >> he was given 21 days in confinement after the disciplinary committee concluded he stole a candy bar from another inmate. >> it's a misunderstanding and a mistake. but i have to go through the bureaucratic stuff to have my things heard. >> he filled out paperwork to appeal the decision. and now corporal debose will review it. >> so this is what you were accused of.

you are accused of stealing someone's canteen. it says you took it while he was in the shower. and you took his canteen. >> i have a receipt saying that for gay men looking for prison pen pals. >> i wrote the letter. i started receiving letters back. i started to ask for money here

and there and i started to build up money in my account. >> jackson says he isn't gay but it is not difficult to write the letters. >> treat them like my girlfriend even though they ain't. but treat them like that. you want to keep them writing you. so you write sexual stuff to them to keep it coming. >> think how fun it will be to be at your house and in your bed with you. i know that boy [ bleep ] is so good and you would love to let me have it. >> jackson is once again looking for a canteen benefactor. he's placed a personal ad. if he gets a response he will send his letter off in the mail. >> $30 per pen pal with 10 to 15 pen pals i'm banking. i'm banking. >> coming up -- >> this is your daily visit. >> let me see your arms. don't mess with it. >> kenneth jackson takes pleasure in cutting. >> like the best orgasm that you ever had. >> knowing that my mom is still there. everything is fine. >> and kendrick morris meets with one person who believes in him. >> i'm proud of you. either way i'm proud of you.

it's my life. i'm going to grow and i'm going to learn. it's my life and you know i'm going to burn every single day until the world don't turn. i'm a warrior so i don't earn i'm a warrior and it repeats. >> when deandre barnes first arrived he was going through drug withdrawal. >> that's no joke. that ain't no joke. feels like death in your stomach. >> but after three weeks in jail barnes feels much better. >> i ain't felt like this in a long time. i feel like my innocence. i see it in my face. i feel good. i don't worry about waking up feeling sick. >> and barnes has more than just his health to be happy about. he received good news in a court hearing.

>> i went to court and they released many you on the two highest bonds that i have. >> his bail was reduced from $26,000 to $3250. a bondsman can get him out for 10% of that amount. >> it's a blessing. from 2500 to get out down to $230 to get out. >> and he is hopeful his family will be able to come up with the money. >> i have 80% to get out. i ain't going to say no 90s because there ain't no guarantee. but 80% chance that i get out. >> kenneth jackson is also hoping for a change in environment. he spent most of the last three years in the jail's confinement unit and he would like to move to general population. >> i'm trying to go to population. supposed to talk about it today. >> each week a team of deputies discusses the possibility of moving confinement inmates back

to general population. but sarah herman thinks that is unlikely in jackson's case. >> kenneth jackson is simply in confinement because he cannot cope in general population. he is more afraid of being in general pop with other inmates with a roommate and cell mate. we've tried a couple times to get him to go to general population. he didn't last 24 hours. he did not feel safe. go put your clothes on. >> jackson's coping issues are not limited to general population. he recently cut himself in order to deal with the stress of living in confinement. >> the best way to relieve the pressure. i cut on myself. i cut my arm. when i bleed and got the pain it relaxes me. it's like having the most orgasm you can ever had. my blood pressure is 147/104 and i cut and 20 minutes later it's down to 110/70.

i relax. straight up. >> this is your daily visit. remember we talked on thursday. where you at today? let me see you arms. both. both. don't mess with it. >> sergeant herman has come to check on jackson and discuss his request to return to general population. >> when you told me on thursday you were bout to break, remember that? what's changed since thursday? you can't be about to break and go into general population. >> i was stressed out. >> you remember what happened the last time when you went to general pop how did it make you feel? >> i was shaking and nervous. >> because what? why were you shaking and nervous? >> [ indiscernible ] i couldn't be around a lot of people. >> what makes you think this is going to be difficult? you are wasting your time after every time you come back you are frustrated. we go through the same cycle to

readjust you back into the way we do things. you get angry because you are not in a certain cell, right? put your eyebrow down. it's the truth. i'm just telling you your life. you end up in the restraint chair because you are doing something you have no business, cutting your arms. you're playing your game. >> let me have a chance. >> i'm not the deciding factor. we're done. got it? good. got it. >> sergeant. >> all right. >> kendrick morris who is awaiting sentencing on two sexual battery convictions has been in confinement most of his three years at the jail. but unlike jackson, he does his time. quietly. >> he does not give us any problems as par as management. he is moderately respectful and

doesn't act out. >> morris says it's regular communication and visits with his mother that helps him cope with solitary existence. >> knowing that my mom is still there and knowing that she is fine and knowing that she can see i'm fine. >> good afternoon. >> morris's mother lisa stevens, who owns a dessert company in tampa visits him two or three times a week. >> he is not a monster. he is my son. i love him dearly. i know he didn't do the crimes he was convicted of. and we're praying for the day when we can walk out of here together. and we can put all this behind us. >> the jail requires visits to take place over telephone and closed circuit tv and they are limited to 40 minutes in length. >> hey, honey.

>> hey. how you doing? >> just tired. i have been working all day since about 4:00 or 5:00 this morning. how you doing? >> i'm fine. it's not as bad as i thought it was. i have been playing chess all day. >> how do you do that? >> you have to draw out the board and rip up the pieces of paper and write all the different pieces on it and play like that. >> what do you feel as far as staying in confinement? >> it's not going to break me. it's nothing. i get used to it. if i can see you and have canteen and do my drawing and reading, i'm fine. i can ride this out. >> i don't know how you do it. >> nobody can do it like you do. >> you say this is going against me. i'm going to give up. i'm saying this is going against me, can i keep on going? if i keep on going that shows how strong i am. >> i'm proud of you. either way i'm proud of you.

>> i'm proud of you too. how are things going? how are you taking it? mom. >> morris could spend the rest of his life in prison. the prosecutors in his case are asking for two consecutive 60-year sentences. he and his mother are hopeful he will be exonerated on future appeal. but they're not completely in agreement on how that morris spends his future. especially when it comes to his desire to be a tattoo artist. >> i want to make a name for myself doing tattoos. >> but your focus is only tattoos. but your art is bigger than that. >> that is one thing i can work on right now. but you know i want to make video games and all that. and i -- >> that's my point. how do you go from tattoos to computer engineer? >> art is art. you keep on working on it. >> let that be the plan b.

you can do computer engineer in there. i'm pretty sure. god forbid if you are sent to prison you can learn that there. you can learn that there. >> i can learn all things. >> tell me usual learn tattoos so i can reach through. >> oh, man. >> i love you. >> i love you, too. >> let's pray before this ends. >> father, thank you will for this opportunity to share with kenny. i thank you that he continues to have a smile on his face, oh, god. he's coming home. i believe it. i have to believe it. i have to. i have to. your will be done. in the name of your son jesus christ for his name's sake. amen. >> love you, ma. >> love you too, honey. >> bye. >> bye. >> all i have is hope. and i believe so much.

so much in him that i'm confident that he is going to come home. everything else falls together. however redemption takes place, it will take place. >> coming up -- >> any other reason why i should not put you in prison? >> because of my girls that are 3 and 4. >> did you think about your girls before you used while you were in a residential treatment facility? >> sonia learn her fate. >> anything else would you like sonia.

after deandre barnes' bail was reduced, it came to fruition. he's a free man for now but will still have to face his drug

possession charges. >> i'm at the crib right now. home sweet home. trying not to go back. i ain't trying to go back there. you know what i'm saying? try to stay out of there. >> staying out of jail is often difficult for a drug addict. sonia cuevas is back for her third cocaine violation on a possession charge. she was 47 days into a court ordered drug treatment program when she tested positive for methadone and ran away from the treatment facility. >> they used to say believe it or not when you leave the rehab, you'll miss it. yeah, right. as soon as i left, like the next day, i did. because i actually knew what i threw away was like, not even words me running for. >> two months after leaving the treatment program, she turned herself in to authorities with hopes she would get another

chance at rehabilitation. she will soon face a judge who will decide whether to of give her another chance at rehab or to serve what had been a suspended five-year sentence. >> my priority is to do what i have to do as a mom and as a woman and get my [ bleep ]. i'm running out of chances. it won't get any better. it will just get worse from here. >> be seated. come to order. no talking, please. >> she must now convince the judge to give her that second chance. >> please raise your right hand. swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth so help you god? >> yes. >> you can put your hand down. what's your true and correct legal name? >> sonia. >> the judge is known for recommending rehab but she's seen cuevas before. >> you were in mandatory prison. i gave you residential treatment and you walked away from it. you want to explain to me why i

should not put you in prison? >> i'm just tired of getting high. i'm tired. >> and you weren't tired when i gave you a five-year suspended prison sentence before? >> yes. >> you're just a little more tired now? >> yes. >> is that what it is? >> yes. >> any other reason why i should not put you in prison? >> also because of my girls that are 3 and 4. >> did you think about your girls when you absconded? judge yes. >> did you think about your girls when you used when you were in a residential treatment facility? >> no. >> how old are you? >> 32. >> 32 years old. how many times have you violated my probation now? >> this is the third one. >> the third one. unfortunately, she has not convinced me with any sincerity at all. and after six years of this, i am not inclined to waste another residential bed on someone who is not sincere.

is there anything else would you like the add? >> yes, ma'am. i am sincere about my recovery. to the methadone usage, it was somebody that no longer is in my life that didn't really love me the way i thought they did. by bringing that to me when i'm in recovery. i was doing good. i was working and on phase ii. >> anything further to add? >> no, your honor. we've covered it. >> all right. is there anything you would like to add? >> again, your honor, you might not see her complete a program. give her the opportunity to complete the in jail drug treatment program. and then pro into a residential. >> had she not absconded, i would have considered that. but absconding with a five-year prison extension hanging over your hes says a lot to this court. having found her in willful violation, i will send her to 36 months in court. the reason i didn't give you the five is because you turned yourself in.

you have 30 days to appeal. good luck to you. i'm going to recommend a drug treatment modality in florida state prison. thank you. next case, please. >> the ruling means she will soon pack up her belongings and board a bus from the hillsborough county jail en route to a florida state prison for the next three years. >> i just didn't think it was fair for her to act like she knew if i was being sincere or not. regardless of you being an addict, you can mess up. it doesn't mean you're not being sincere and you don't care. and i feel like she just threw the book at me and gave up on me. but it is what it is. i made my grave. now i have to deal with it.