Behind Bars – Page 49 – The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli

Dope Flix: Inmates Playing Chess

1972– Inmates playing chess from their cells at Attica Correction Facility, New York. Photograph by Cornell Capa.

Lil Wayne Tour Bus Shooter Sentenced To 10 Years

Jimmy Carlton Winfrey pleaded guilty Friday to firing shots at rapper Lil Wayne’s tour buses as they traveled on I-285 in April.

Winfrey, also known as Peewee Roscoe, pleaded guilty to five charges and was sentenced to 20 years, including 10 to serve in prison, according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office. Winfrey, who previously worked for the rapper Young Thug, is eligible for parole.

No one was injured on April 26 when multiple shots were fired at two buses traveling on I-285 near I-75, according to Atlanta and Cobb police. About a dozen people were on the buses around 3 a.m. after a performance at the Compound nightclub on Brady Avenue, police previously said.

It was not known if Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, was aboard either of the buses.

Winfrey was allegedly driving when he fired the shots from his vehicle, causing more than $20,000 worth of damage to the buses. He allegedly fired the shots to gain “street cred,”.

On May 21, police secured an arrest warrant for Winfrey, charging him with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and acts, criminal damage, possession of a firearm by a felon, criminal gang activity, reckless conduct and discharging a weapon near the street. Then in June, a grand jury indicted Winfrey on 30 counts.

Italy Considers Conjugal Visits For Inmates

Prisoners in Italy could soon have a legal right to six to 24 hours of love making each month. The Italian parliament was scheduled to debate a “right to intimacy” bill Wednesday that would allow once-a-month conjugal visits from spouses, partners and acquaintances.

The Italian law, should it pass, would create “love rooms” for prisoners to spend time with their visitor without video or audio surveillance, according to the Local. Hearings for consideration of the bill will include testimony from inmates from a maximum security prison and their partners. They were expected to tell lawmakers about their experience having a relationship with another person when separated by bars.

A law of this sort would allow Italy to join much of the rest of Europe in that regard. Germany, Denmark and Spain all allow inmates to get together with loved ones every six to eight weeks. Those prisoners are given private rooms, condoms and bathing amenities.

Conjugal visits aren’t the norm everywhere. In the United States, extended visits are offered in only four states: California, Connecticut, New York and Washington, according to the Marshall Project. Federal prisons do not allow private visits. States have been slowly revoking the right. Last April, New Mexico suspended the privilege when it was discovered that a convicted killer had fathered four children as a result of the visits.