Interesting Prison Hobbies

Narrator: "Inside the doors of the crowded

Holmes correction facility in Alabama.

Inmates personal space is limited."

Louis: "This is me right here

and that's about it.

You try to respect everybody's little

space you got you know but this is it.

These are my trial transcripts.

There's my scrabble dictionary

Family pictures,

got two of these full of pictures.

This was uh,

my mom gave me this

it was her first bible.

I don't necessarily believe in god but uh,

if anybody ever did something or this or that

then I'd have another murder charge."

Narrator: "In these tight quarters many

inmates occupy themselves with hobbies.

Donald Hargrove is sketching

blue prints for a strip club."

Donald: "That's the dance stage,

these are pool tables,

this is the main club, that's the main bar

this is a dance stage, dancers dressing room

And all that's the V.I.P. lounge.

I really design houses, I got

a whole bunch of them up under my bed."

Robert: "Idle hands is the devil's playground

you know so, I stay busy."

Narrator: "Robert Tedder, incarcerated

since the mid 1980's on several sex

and obscenity charges, was a general contractor.

In prison, he uses his construction and

electrical skills to build homemade guitars."

Robert: "Ok the guitar is made out of

boat kits. This is 2.5 boat kits makes this one."

Narrator: "Model boat kits are an approved

hobby item for inmates in general population.

Tedder, combined his with scrap transistor

radio parts."

Robert: "All of these are stud up together,

glued together, to make this neck like this.

The inside of the guitar is all wood, and 1 radio,

the tone control, got 3 controls down here

and this set of batteries. And if we break

it down further this comes apart, this

comes completely out, this is the pickup.

Dowel sticks are used for the tuning keys.

And it has a mic built into the top of it

here and a mic plug on top of it

and additional plugs in the tail end."

singing

Narrator: "With headphones Tedder can

play in the crowded dorm and not

disturb his neighbors.

After success with the first, Tedder crafted

another guitar for his friend Jerome Berard.

Who is serving like without parole for a

drug related double murder."

Jerome: "I payed the prison equivalent

of $25 for it, 9 packs of cigarettes.

Robert: "He's had more highs off of guitar

then he's ever had off of drugs.

He don't even fool with that anymore."

Jerome: "Learning to play guitar has been

one of the high points of my life.

It's a shame I had to do it here,

but it's a miracle I did it.

Do you think this could get me

on American Idol?"

Narrator: "While Tedder and Berard pass

the time playing guitar, a contraband brew

called prison julep provides and escape

for other inmates."
Captioned by Danyoul