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Stigma Creative

Inspiration beyond confinement
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I am not a journalist or a professional author, though I have had the privilege of being published. My true passion is creating art and music, while fostering connection with people. As an enthusiast and an amateur writer, my intention with this blog is to provide a nuanced and authentic portrayal of life behind bars. I aim to shed light on the treatment of incarcerated individuals, the intricate culture within the prison system, and the myriad experiences—both good and bad, confusing and ugly—that define our daily existence.

Through my writing, I hope to bridge the gap between the incarcerated and the outside world. When you see a correctional facility on the news or encounter someone who has been through the prison system, my goal is to equip you with a deeper understanding of their background and experiences. By doing so, I aspire to foster empathy and encourage the recognition of the humanity in every individual, regardless of their circumstances.

- Michael Lauderdale

Yes, this is the actual trustpilot review score for the company incarcerated people are forced to use.

Being Thankful Can Be...Inappropriate

July 3, 2025

We're informed from so many angles that appreciation is king, that being thankful is divine, or it's just the way the cookie crumbles, and we should be thankful for... whatever flavor humility's brandishing this week. Why do we just assume there's nothing to be gained from a good old tantrum of discontent?

Take Securus for instance. I'm thankful for a lot of their services: games, movies, music, email... all sorts of good stuff. And yet they can't get one particular, very important thing right: video visits.

I’ve been using this feature for over seven years without issue. Then, suddenly, in late August or early September of last year, it just stopped working—specifically for some of my family contacts overseas. No warning, no “Hey, there’s an update coming,” nothing. So we did what anyone would: filed trouble tickets, made phone calls, worked with our (very supportive) on-site liaison, and even had two different technicians sit in on multiple attempts. Still nothing. Securus eventually just closed everyone’s tickets without solving the issue—and then stopped responding altogether, even to our facility liaison.

You know what Securus did? Closed EVERYONE'S tickets without solving a thing then pressed "ignore" on all further correspondence. Seriously, they won't even respond to our FACILITY LIAISON about this issue anymore. It's absolutely ridiculous. So I've taken the next step and filed an official complaint with the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. Wish us luck?

Oh, but it gets better, and by better I mean so much worse.

Video visits with my besty, Dwayne, have been just fine. Which is great! Because he can then just pipe other friends in on his laptop and we can all hang out, right? Yeah, for about three visits before some jackass in visiting claims their attendance is a third-party violation (it's not, everyone was on my approved visitor list) and suspends Dwayne's visiting privileges for 30 days!!! WTAF?!

Then, when Dweezy files his appeal (because I'm not allowed to), the powers that be direct him to the wrong person. So by the time he figures out who to properly appeal to, the suspension is all but up... Yeah, I'm not pulling all my hair out, but only because I'm BALD!!!

I normally don't rant and flail here, HOWEVER... we're coming up on a YEAR of this BS and I can't say I'm thankful for the deliberate indifference in any light one may cast upon the situation. It's not okay, it's not some stupid cookie, or blessing, it's time with my better half that's being denied because...

There's no good reason I can think of. And for that, I am eternally ungrateful. Don’t just take my word for it, though—check out Securus on Trustpilot. There’s a reason their rating hovers at a single star out of five.

P.S. Fuck you, Securus. In your face, with your face. Fuck you.

In Somewhere Comic Tags Incarcerated Life, Somewhere Comic, Mike Lauderdale, Michael Lauderdale, Red Tape, Securus Technologies, Poor Customer Service, Technical Failure, Technology Failure
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