♪ an inmate's stress prompts an emergency response. >> he's been trying to booze himself all day -- abuse himself all day. threating suicide. >> when i lay my hands, i continue. >> a repeat offender is charged with beating her mother and must rely on her daughter for

support. >> please don't forget to get the money. you know where to put it at in the machine? >> uh-huh. >> an inmate known for his brawn decides to focus on his brain. and -- >> she was stabbed 19 times. >> after two prison sentences for attacking women, another inmate is accused of an unthinkable act. >> he's going to have emotional triggers that nobody else in this jail can understand. and he's safest being by himself. ♪ louisville, kentucky, is a

city of landmarks, many of them are household names from the world of sports. in the heart of downtown, however, there's a landmark of a different sort. the louisville metro department of corrections jail houses 2,300 inmates. most of whom have been charged with crimes and are awaiting trial at the resolution of their cases. the vast majority of inmates are men who try to pass time with sports activities themselves. but in the eight dormitories housing the jail's daily average of 210 female inmates, much of the focus is on beauty. >> how about this one? at the commissary, i draw and color with them. they're also good for make-up. great eye shadow and great mascara. just add warm water to it, and

voila. i put yellow on for me. it goes with the uniform. >> monique jeffries might have an eye for color, but it's her hands that landed her in jail. >> i'm in here because i continue -- because of ike and tina. that's what i named my hands, ike and tina. >> why? >> because ike was aggressive, and tina finally fought back. >> are you a good fighter? >> i'm going to pat myself on the back, yes. i'm 39, and i ain't never took a loss. only person i ever took a loss to is a male. but i refuse to let a woman beat me up. >> fighting has earned jeffries three prior assault convictions and numerous jail stays related charges over the past 15 years. >> people can look at it and say, "she's too old to be fighting." you're not too old to give an

ass whooping, and you're not too old to take one. >> i've known her my whole career, over 12 areas. she's seen me go from officer it lieutenant, like following a professional relationship, following her career in and out of jail and my career in jail. it's unique. >> when you coming back -- >> [ bleep ] i ain't. i'm moving out of town. >> we've had this conversation before. >> he's one of the good ones. he's -- yeah, he's my favorite. >> jeffries' latest assault conviction for which she is in jail awaiting sentencing struck closer to home. during an argument, she knocked out two of her mother's teeth, gave her a black eye, and burned her arms with a curling iron. jeffries said her mother provoked it, and she is confident that she will be released on parole at her upcoming sentencing hearing. >> nature, let the rivers clap their hands.

let the -- >> the judge could give her up to five years in state prison. >> i read the bible. i'm learning to control my anger. that's why i'm in here. >> while faith might keep jeffries calm, maintaining her femininity lifts her spirits. >> if i don't get up and glamorfy myself and lay down, i'm depressed. i get up, i take a shower at night and one in the morning. i get up, brush my teeth, comb my hair, and lay back down. >> reporter: it's not just women concerned about their appearance at louisville metro. the jail allows for a makeshift barber shop where male inmates get haircuts during their one hour of daily recreation time. >> well, we cut hair in the jail. >> darrell campbell is one of the inmate barbers at louisville. >> we cut triple plays, double plays. >> this is my favorite barber in

here. i think he might be the best one. >> for campbell, most cuts are retune and remind him -- routine and remind him of his life outside. occasionally if called upon he's asked to groom inmates out of the jail. >> dorm seven, a single cell dorm, 23-hour lockdown, in there 23 hours during the day, one hour out during the day. a noncompliance psych dorm. >> he will escort anthony politti to a gym. >> i was out there, there were so many people. it was really cold. >> reporter: he's in the dorm while psychiatric staff continue to monitor and evaluate his state of mind and medication. though he is currently considered to be stable. this will be his first haircut in the 3.5 months he's been at louisville metro. >> come on, big cat. you got your armband? get that for me.

slide that on there. >> politti has been charged and pled not guilty to murder, rape, sodomy, and tampering with physical evidence. >> how you doing? >> just want it all off. >> what else you want? >> as clean as you can get me. >> what do you want done to your hair? >> whatever you recommend. >> raise your head up for me. all the way back. >> according to police reports and the prosecution, politti committed an especially vicious crime. at the time, he was living at a rooming house in louisville after having recently completed a prison sentence. the police report says he and a 45-year-old woman were engaging in sexual activity. the sounds of a struggle prompted another rooming house resident to call 911.

>> i just had a manicure done, too, two days before i come in. had may eyebrows arched. now they're back, klin good on, you know, i -- -- klingon, you know. >> he confessed to strangling the victim to stop her screams. he now says he confessed under duress during his long interrogation and doesn't really remember what happened to the victim. >> i mean, i black out sometimes, do stuff and don't remember. it really ain't my fault. i don't know why it happens. it just happens. >> there's a mirror over here if you want to look at it. >> he says he only remembers falling asleep with the victim, then waking up and going to a store. >> when i came back from the store, i laid down. then i heard the police there -- bam, bam, bam.

police, open up. i pulled over the sheet, the comforter, and there she was. i just seen some blood, and the body was -- you know, like it was dead. i was just about to open the door, and they bashed it in. and i didn't know what to say except, "can i light this cigarette up?" >> according to the autopsy report, the victim was strangled and suffered massive internal and external wounds caused by a sexual assault device that was confiscated from politti's room. >> and i'm usually a real good guy. people trust me with their kids, even to babysit. i'm not a bad person. >> but this isn't the first time he's been charged with a crime of a sexual nature. coming up -- >> i hear a lot of voices -- >> reporter: he opens up to the jail psychiatrist. >> are they telling you to hit me now? >> and -- >> he told the officers he swallowed a comb. he's spitting up blood. >> a disturbance sends the special operations response team

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boxing champion muhammad ali might very well be louisville, kentucky's, most celebrated native son. but fame and fortune have alluded many of the other would-be or former athletes inside the louisville metro department of corrections jail including thomas "bam-bam" lewis. >> it's a good nickname i've had since i was 12 years old. when i boxed, it was a good nickname. when i competed in arm wrestling. it's i guess a pretty good nickname to have. i don't box anymore, i quit. i'm too old for that stuff. but i've always got to find something to compete in. arm wrestling's a good sport. i've is even it, even the old --

i've seen it, even the old guys get in and kick ass. >> the problem, is lewis can't always find more opponent willing to arm wrestle him, but highway has found another way of testing his strength. it involves outdated phone packs. -- phone books. lewis is currently serving a one-year sentence for nonpayment of child support. he said it was always hard to make ends meet without a high school diploma. now thanks to a program offered by the jail, he's just days away from receiving his ged. >> my mom's proud of me. yeah. finally can say she's proud of me. through a lot of other stuff, she's always worried about me and boxing. always worried about me getting hurt, competition, and other stuff i do.

she don't really like tattoos. this is one thing i can say she's proud of me for. >> while lewis has made the most of his time at louisville metro, some inmates continue to struggle. the special operations response team or s.o.r.t. has been alerted to a disturbance with a inmate on suicide watch. it is jail policy to document such calls on video. >> the inmate's behavior has been self-abusive. today he is stating that he's swallowed items. hee he told the officers he swallowed a comb. he's spitting up blood. we did catch him attempting to swallow part of a toothbrush. he's been strip searched. >> he's a level-one inmate on, suicide ops because he keeps trying to hurt himself. >> being vindictive? >> he refuses to put the smock on. [ yelling ]

>> the inmate, laron moore, has just banged his head into the doorframe. >> scrubs. he rammed his head into the wall. >> medical personnel are called to administer a sedative. >> ow! >> don't move. >> take it easy, man. ah! >> yeah. >> moore, when has pled not guilty to 13 charges including wanton endangerment, receiving stolen firearms, and evading arrest, is placed in a restraint chair where he's secured at the feet, arms, and waist. >> this guy has had issues in the past with self-abusive behavior. the restraint chair is to prevent that behavior. >> officers also place protective headgear on moore to prevent further self-injury. >> the nurses will keep

monitoring. the officers will be checking him every 15 minutes. and he'll have an inmate one-on-one watcher who will sit outside and observe him. we'll keep a check on him. probably in 30 minutes or an hour if the medication takes effect, we might look at taking him out of the restraint chair and placing him back in the cell. >> psychiatric staff will also meet with moore in an attempt to better understand his self-abusive behavior and to form late a treatment plan. over in the women's wing, monique jeffries has been formulating fashion plans for herself and her dorm mates. >> it don't make her look no better. >> she makes earrings from candy wrappers. >> look -- look at me. look. bam. boo-y

boo-yah. >> and she also makes jewelry from comb tines including her facial jewelry. >> called the marilyn monroe. every three days i put a new piece in it. when you're eating bacteria, i don't want it to get inticketed. >> her homemade jewelry could be confiscated. in jail any item altered from its intended use is contraband. she can legally acquire her raw supplies like candy bars and combs from the commissary, a virtual general store. >> that's real important to the inmates if they got money on their account because they can buy stuff -- pops, potato chips, soups. >> i'm trying to not eat a lot of things because i'm a diabetic. my commissary snacks are cup tak cupcakes, pop tarts, snickers -- >> do these qualify as not being sweet? >> i act naughty sometimes during my -- i'm not supposed to have sugar, but i have it just in case my sugar level drops.

>> jeffries faces another risk every time she wants to place an order for new commissary items. >> hello? how are you doing? >> having enough money on her inmate debit account to pay for it. >> i'm lucky each time that i've been incarcerated that somebody's put money on my books. once my mother put money on my books to make sure i was all right. answering machine came on. >> that's one source of funding jeffries has lost. she is currently awaiting sentencing for an assault on her mother that included knocking out two teeth and burning her with a curling iron. >> you can put -- will you put $100 on my book? it will last me. i can't eat this food in here. i tried. it made me sick. >> today, jeffries reaches out to an ex-boyfriend for commissary money. >> i am grateful.

how? she said, "you quit calling me. telling everybody you're starving. you ain't hungry." >> you ain't hungry. >> i was, i have been hungry. with me, that's very important when you're locked up is calling on the phone. you have a nice workout, okay? i appreciate everything you do for me. okay, bye. no, he was yelling at me. >> coming up -- >> i told him to give you $25 so you can give it to me. don't take it, alexis. hello? >> monique jeffries seeks another source of commissary funding -- her daughter. >> why do i have to be your mama? why do i have to be there when i need you to be there? >> and anthony politti relives the past. >> wrote stuff on the wall in blood. how can i be a more fun mom? hmmm. can you dance?

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most of the inmates inside

the louisville metro department of corrections jail prefer living in dorm-style housing units where they can at least socialize and have access to tv. anthony politti is happy to be housed alone in a cell and to occasionally chat with a neighbor. >> politti? what's up? you got a haircut. let me see. you ugly, man. >> i could not be in a ram with 20, 30 people all day. that would drive me insane. you know, i'd end up hurting somebody or make them hurt me. i couldn't do it. >> politti is charged with murder and rape. despite police claims that he confessed after he was arrested, politti says he has no recollection of the murder. >> the 40-year-old girl end up dead in your room. then what happened? >> i don't know. somebody strangled her, they said. >> somebody strangled her. it wasn't you? >> i don't remember. >> i'd have been pissed if i'd have come home and there was a dead body in my room.

i would have been pissed, man. >> from my past experiences, i don't know. it's possible i did it, but i don't think i did it. i really don't. [ beep ] done it before. i remember it. that's when people pissed me off, though. >> this is not the first time politti has opinion charged with a violent crime where he says memory failed him. he once served a 15-year prison sentence for assault with intent to commit murder after he stabbed an ex-girlfriend. >> she was stabbed 19 times. i don't remember it. >> shortly after his release from prison, politti was living with family. a female relative said he attempted to rape and strangle her. politti denies all that but admits to another disturbing action. >> i wrote stuff on the wall in blood, and it was threatening. i didn't write anything threatening, but because it was blood -- >> what did you write? >> i love you. i love you. i love -- stuff like that. >> whose blood?

>> mine. >> after the relative chose not to confront him in court, complety's charges were drop -- politti's charges were dropped to wanton endangerment, and he was sentenced to another seven years in prison. less than a year after his release, he was arrested on his current charge of murder, rape, and sodomy. >> you might get the death penalty if they try to give you a life sentence or something. >> i'm not doing any time anymore. >> no time? >> you let me out the door, going to give me the death penalty. >> the death penalty? which would you rather take? the injection or -- what's it called? >> injection. i would never do the gas. >> you would rather take the injection? my god, you are crazy. man, are you crazy, you are crazy, man. >> mr. politti, how about you sit over here, and i'll sit here. might work better. >> while he awaits trial at louisville metro, politti receives checkups from the jail

psychiatrist, dr. easley. h >> how have you been? >> not very good. i can't sleep during the day or at night, either. i hear a lot of voices. sometimes go over the same thought -- think about the same thing over and over until it keeps me up all night. sometimes they argue among themselves. sometimes they argue with me. tell me to do stuff over and over again -- >> the voices tell you to do thing you don't want to do? >> yeah. >> can you give me an example? >> sometimes it's violent things like hit this person. hit him. hit him. hit him over and over. hit him here. hit him there. >> are they telling you to hit me now? >> no. telling me to shut up. >> politti went on to describe several graphic accounts of sexual abuse he says he suffered as a child. >> is there anything else you want to tell me about? >> not that i know of. >> are you safe here in the

sglal. >> yeah. as long as they keep me in that little room. >> all right. we need to be wrapping up. i'm going change your medicine a little bit. all right? >> all right. >> i hope you feel better. thank you for talking with me. can i come back and see you? all right. thanks. this is a man who has an unusual -- i mean, enough that it even surprises me that his life is that unusual, his background. he's going to have emotional chicagoers there nobody else in this -- triggers that nobody else in this jail can understand. he's safest being by himself without triggering all that. coming up -- >> i won't touch them. i got to touch them, but i don't like to. >> a louisville metro lunchtime tradition. and -- >> you don't want your son on the streets. >> no, sir. >> is that why you were hurting yourself? >> yeah. >> dr. easley attempts to get through to laron moore.

hey there, i'm veronica de la cruz. police in colorado say 584 people are unaccounted for after days of historic flooding. at least four people are dead after severe flooding in colorado. the national guard is evacuating entire towns after several roads were washed away. and paula deen made her first public appearance since june when she admitted using a racial slur. deen appeared on a houston cooking show and thanked the crowd of 1,500 for their support. i'm veronica de la cruz. back it "lockup." last call. will come on. >> at the louisville metro department of corrections jail, lunchtime means the cellophane-wrapped meals most everyone here calls zabos. >> the reason why we call them zabos is because years ago, our

company was called zabo. and they made the sandwiches at that time. and we no longer use them, but the name stuck with the sandwiches. >> would you eat that szabo right now is. >> no, i would not. >> why? >> why? well, for one thing, inmates prepare it. >> inmates like brian walden. >> what you do is you take five rolls, two pieces of bread, put two pieces of mustard teamwork pieces of cheese, three pieces, and wrap them up. a szabo wrap. i won't touch them. i got to touch them, but i don't like to. >> making szabos earns $3 a day, and he appreciates that. >> i mean, it comes in handy. like i'm in -- i don't have people to come visit me and put money on my books. i work like a slave, but you can't complain. yeah, it keeps your mind from

wandering. i got a little girl at home, you know what i'm saying? it keeps me from thinking about her too much. sometimes i'm depressed. >> walden is not alone in feeling depressed about leaving a child on the outside. [ yelling ] >> laron moore's recent self-abusive behavior resulted in his being removed from his cell and placed in a restraint chair. now in a calmer state of mind, he explains why he was upset. >> my son -- i know some way he's missing me, much as i'm

missing him. but i try not to think about him. >> moore, on new medication, has been taken off suicide watch. the jail's goal is to return him to general population. >> hi. >> hi. how you doing? >> i'm doing pretty good. how about you? >> that decision will depend in part on whether dr. easley feels he's ready for it. >> what made you so mad and angry? >> that i let my son down. because i ain't never -- my father was there, but he was doing the same thing i'm doing in and out. and i feel like if i can't be there with my son more and more -- he won't turn to the streets like i did, like i was looking for a role model. >> you hope your son doesn't -- if he does imitate you, that he imitates the good parts? >> yeah. pretty much. >> okay. you don't want your son on the streets. >> no, sir. >> is that why you were hurting yourself? >> yeah. >> make more sense of it to me.

>> basically, most the meals at the center, in jail, you -- you had a father who wasn't there. i had a father in and out of life, then you don't have no role model, a meal in your life. there's only so much a woman can teach them. i feel like i let him down. >> and you didn't want your son to be disappointed in you like you're disappointed in your father? >> i just feel like if he was there in the past, i probably wouldn't be here today talking to you. i'd probably be successful somewhere. i'd probably have a job or something. >> and what are you going to do to make sure nothing bad happens it you? >> stay focused. >> okay. we're going to try to move you from the single cell this evening, is you know, after shift change. so it will take several hours. don't get aggravated. it could even take until

tomorrow, okay? we're trying to get it done. okay? >> okay. >> i'll see you. >> okay. >> have a good weekend. all right. >> just as moore's son occupies his thoughts, one of monique jeffries' daughters, 20-year-old alexis, occupies hers. >> i'm getting dolled up today because i get my visit with my daughter, and i'm excited. >> for alexis, visits bring mixed emotions. >> i really don't like visiting. i'm not going to lie. i feel like i shouldn't have to come here and see my mother behind a screen. >> though alexis has had to adapt to her mother's frequent stays in jail, adapting is something she's done all her life. >> she got shot accidently by a sawed off shotgun. my daughter. she has one arm. she was 17 months-year-old it

happened. she's the most intelligent person i ever met. and she is so strong. >> i'm here to see monique jeffries. >> even though i go through -- you know -- hell and back. i like my life fine and hope my mom can get out and share it with me. >> have you thought of what you might want to talk to her about? >> money. i'm -- i'm running low on. i need $30. hey! [ laughter ] >> look at you. did you cut your hair? >> huh-uh. >> lean in real tight. >> you got nails. >> you see how long they are? >> that means you ain't been nervous or angry. >> i miss you. you look beautiful. >> thank you. >> during the visit, alexis gets a cell phone call from monique's brother.

>> oh, my god. tell him that i miss him so much. >> your sister says she misses you so much. >> tell him to meet you to give you some money for me. tell him to give you $25 so you can give it to me. don't take, alexis. hello? >> i am listening, mama. >> tell him -- we don't have that much time. what did he they? >> he said, i'm going to give her some money. so i want to be happy with her. it's stressful to be locked up and have money on the books, money on the phone, when you barely got money to eat and do everything else. >> i can't want to see you all. don't do anything else so i can help you decorate. >> i just up a mirror and a little thing about hope and a little thing about god. a couple little things. you know you've done missed enough. i have my first apartment. first little car. first everything. >> i know. >> at the end of the day,

sometimes you just being around, me come to see you and hear your voice, helps me and everything. don't cry. i know. you know i'm still going to love you. >> you know i miss you so much. i don't want to make you cry, make your make-up run. i miss you so much. >> get a wipe. >> i'm going to -- i'm going to stay away from people who try to get me in trouble and fight. >> at the end of the day, you got to learn how to walk away. >> i'll be walking away. >> that's good. >> everything. when i say i'll -- you should see how people look at me. >> babble? the lord needs you, and you need the lord. >> so please don't forget to get the money, alexis. you know where to put it at in the machine? alexis, please put it on today. please before you leave. >> i will. and i miss you.

i miss you and love you, too. >> bye-bye. at the end of the day, i don't care when she does, what anybody says or any of it. i feel like, you know, it's -- just because she is lake my best friend and my lovejoy. it's like, why do i have to be your mama, why do i have to be there when i need you to be there. >> hi. coming up -- >> look at the camera. >> a graduation. >> welcome to the dorm. >> a transfer. >> and conversion. lf a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh! could've had a v8. in the juice aisle. need a little kick? ooh!

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louisville department of corrections jail inmate thomas "bam "bam-bam" lewis has been many things -- a tattoo artist, boxer, arm wrestler, and a high school dropout. most recently he's shown a talent for disposing of old phone books. one thing he thought he'd never be is a math tutor. >> all right. let's start by finishing up doing -- >> the ones we missed? >> doing the ones you missed. >> lewis says the one thing about jail he's grateful for is the ged program which he has just completed. and now he wants it pay it forward. >> i'm helping gentlemen get ready for their ged test. something i volunteer to do, and to help somebody else makes me feel like i've achieved

something. you're flexing too much, you got too much on your brain. calm down and relax, and just work the problem. >> now, it's time for 40-year-old lewis to play a new role -- graduate. >> put on my dress. cute little dress i get to wear. >> still, his reputation precedes him. >> okay. listen -- you know this is the gift, right? don't rip it in half, bam bam. >> it's too small. >> ged graduates are allowed to have one visitor at the ceremony. and lewis' has just arrived. >> hi, baby. >> why don't you sit here -- >> i'm here to watch my son finally graduate. >> good seeing you again. been a year. >> yes, honey. i know. >> but finally get to see me walk down the aisle, huh? >> yeah, finally. i'm just so glad he's doing this and getting it done. i've been trying to get him to do it for a while.

and it's the first time i've actually got to touch him for a long time. [ applause ] >> keep it coming. keep it coming, keep it coming. [ applause ] >> yeah! mom, i did it. i graduated. i seen all my friends get their high school diploma. and my daughter's got hers, and -- i mean, it's -- something that i really should have had a long time ago. [ applause ] >> get over there with her. get over there with her. >> thomas lewis, thomas lewis, come on up here, tom. give it up for thomas, guys. congratulations. you have mom here with you? >> yes. >> okay. get in here. hold that certificate, okay? look at the camera. congratulations, thomas. [ applause ] >> thank you.

>> i knew she was happy and proud of me. looking in her eyes said it all. my life right here. >> all right. say your good-byes, we've got to go. >> i'll be out soon. i'll walk you out. >> okay. >> walk you as far as i can anyway. they won't let me walk you out. i don't know -- i'm in black, they might let me get a little bit further. >> laron moore might feel he's graduating, as well. after several counseling sessions and adjustments to his medication, the jail's mental health staff has approved his transfer from a single-person segregation cell to a general population dorm. >> how do you feel about this? >> i'm happy. i'm ready to move back to a dorm and get out of that single cell. >> no anxiety? >> no. i think since the break,

mentally you don't got nobody to talk to, to vent to. you o got nobody to do anything with. just you and four walls and the sunlight. so you -- only time you do, you only got time to think, think, think, think, think. >> how you doing, man? >> what's up? >> welcome to the dorm. there's some guys in here, you'll get along fine. we watch tv, movies, it's all right in here. you look it -- the doctors work with you? >> due to overcrowding, there are no available bunk in the dorm, so moore will sleep on the floor in a boat, a plastic shell used as a temporary bed. but moore's still happy to be here. >> i'm glad to be out of single cell. been in there for a while. [ banging ] >> no, that -- that ain't me. that used to be me.

>> oh -- a tooth brush! >> that's how we play? >> another inmate at louisville metro has also seen significant change. six weeks after seeing her daughter -- >> i've been walking away from my babble. >> soon to be sentenced for assaulting her mother, monique jeffries has had a conversion. >> what are you doing, monique? >> going to service. i changed my religion. okay, i got to go. >> there's no such thing as a i hate this race or individual. no, they're all creation of the creator. so you want to respect the creator, respect his creations. >> yes. >> we want to do the right thing and show the people the real islam. how you be kind to the people. you're kind to your neighbors. you're kind to society. 1:00. got to go. >> oh, wow. oh, man -- >> i'm going to go --

>> i'm going to put them up -- >> i will come back next week, and i will see you guys next week in -- in what? with aallah. i'll see you at closing. >> coming up -- >> okay, the case against monique jeffries. >> monique jeffries learns if she will be going home or going to prison. and her mother has something to say about. >> monique was born as a monster. wisest kid in the whole world?

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do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> frequent court visits are common for inmates because most are in the process of resolving their cases. for that reason, the courthouse and jail at the louisville metro

department of corrections are housed within the same structure. monique jeffries is in court today. she has already been convicted for assaulting her mother. in fact, she knocked out two of her mother's teeth and burned her with a curling iron. now, she is about to be sentenced. >> all rise. please be seated. >> jeffries is optimistic that she will be allowed to leave jail on parole. her mother, debra brown, is also present in court. >> okay, we're going on the record against monique jeffries. >> before delivering his sentence, the judge allows jeffries to make a statement. >> okay, we're good. miss jeffries? >> i would like to say today that i have forgiven myself for what i have done. i'm not a savage beast. i'm a human being. i will admit that it got a little bit out of hand, but i

just didn't intentionally put my hands on her. i was provoked. i'm only protecting myself, and i can't help it if i protect myself to where i'm not going to let anybody put their hands on me anymore. since my incarceration, i have renewed my religion as a muslim, i've learned more than i have as a christian, and being a muslim requires a whole lot of structure. and i finally found something that's really going to structure me and help me guide myself to be a better person. >> okay. thank you very much, ms. jeffries. okay. >> yes, thank you, debra brown, who is the mother, is here in the courtroom today. and i believe that she would like to address the court. and if the court would permit her, i'd ask her to come forward. >> all right. >> debra? >> yes, ma'am? >> monique done hit me, jumped on me four times within my

lifetime. she is a beast. i still have nightmares to see her hands come down in my face. she took both of my phones so i wouldn't call the police. she burned may on my arm with a hot curler, and her attitude -- she went into mode, "oh, shut up. you renter hurt. your teeth wasn't no good anyway. you're going sit there and let me hot curl my hair and get ready before you call the police." i had to give her a bus check to get out of my moment and to leave. but highway is kept hot curling her hair. i asked her for my phones. she said, "you keep them, i'm going to burn you." i grabbed for may phone while she stood there and hot curled her hair. she kept the curlers on my arm when she knocked my teeth out one at a time. she was hitting me so hard. i did like this.

and she beat the daylights out of me. >> i understand it's -- >> i can't take her beating no more. >> okay. >> monique was wrong, sir. >> i understand. i don't want you to get too -- >> i'm her mother. i'm not her friend in the street. you don't hit your mother. you don't beat your mother. >> well, you don't do that to anybody. so okay. well, i appreciate your comments, ma'am. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> okay. well, you know, the court's heard from the defendant and from the victim. and to t's immediately obvious to the court -- and it's immediately obvious to the court that there are strong emotions involved here. but ms. jeffries, i'm going to deny your motion for probation and impose a sentence at this time because i think that you have to accept responsibility for what you've done. so i wish you the best of luck, and we'll impose a sentence of -- of five years. is that correct on this -- >> five years, yes. >> so, ms. jeffries, i wish you the best of luck.

>> now facing five years in state prison, jeffries was feeling less forgiving toward her mother and her decision to press charges. >> you guys have probably one of the most [ bleep ] relationship, yes. if she needed blood, i wouldn't give it to her. if she was dying -- on her dying bed, i would go. i have forgave myself, and good has forgiven me, so i'm done. >> monique was born as a monster. and i said, i'm going to take this creature off the street because i created her. i hadn't seen her in two years, and i brought her back in to my home. imembarrassed that my own -- i'm embarrassed that my own child beat me the way she did. that's all i got to say. bye.

♪ >> what's this about? >> well, to be honest with you, this isn't really about anything. this is about us.