Savannah Chrisley accuses prison of treating Todd, family differently | Banfield

PRACTICES.

THEY DID NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE CHRISLEY ALLEGATIONS,

BUT TALK RECEIVED,

BY THE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE SPEAKING OUT ABOUT PRISON CONDITIONS.

HIS 26-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, SAVANNAH, HAS WEIGHED IN

ON THE ENVIRONMENT IN BOTH OF HER PARENTS’ FACILITIES.

SHE NOW HOSTS THE PODCAST UNLOCKED WITH SAVANNAH CHRISLEY,

AND SHE JOINS ME NOW.

I’M LIVE ON SAVANNAH.

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US AGAIN.

FIRST OF ALL, WHEN WE TALKED TO YOUR DAD THE LAST TIME,

YOUR FIRST CONCERN WAS RETALIATION.

YOU SAID THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY THAT HE IS TALKING TO YOU,

AND NOW HE’S SAYING THAT THEY RETALIATED.

FOR SURE.

I MEAN, NOT ONLY HAVE THEY TRIED TO RETALIATE AGAINST HIM,

BUT ME AS WELL.

THERE HAS BEEN DISCUSSIONS OF THEM JUST ENDING MY VISITS,

NOT ALLOWING ME TO COME AND VISIT,

SAYING THAT I AM A THREAT TO THE INSTITUTION.

AND EVEN WHEN I GO TO VISIT,

THEY MAKE IT A POINT TO CALL ME OUT,

CALL THE CHILDREN NOW,

AND THEY DON’T ALLOW US TO ACT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE THERE.

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY, SAVANNAH,

WELL, YOU KNOW, HE’S NOT ALLOWED IN THE CHAPEL.

WHY IS THAT A BIG DEAL?

BUT I MEAN, YOUR DAD IS VERY RELIGIOUS,

AND THAT WAS HIS JOB, RIGHT?

I MEAN, WORKING IN THE CHAPEL.

YES, THAT WAS HIS JOB, WORKING IN THE CHAPEL,

WHICH OUR PRISON SYSTEM IS.

THE ONLY SYSTEM THAT HAS ALLOWED SLAVE LABOR AS A FORM OF PUNISHMENT.

AND THAT IS WHERE CORY BOOKER HAS STEPPED UP AND SAID,

HEY, THIS SHOULDN’T BE ACCEPTABLE.

BUT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR RIGHT TO RELIGION,

OUR FIRST AMENDMENT STATES THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO PRACTICE RELIGION,

AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN STOP YOU.

AND IT’S NOT ONLY MY FATHER.

THERE ARE TONS OF MUSLIM MEN AT HIS FACILITY

THAT HAVE BEEN STOPPED FROM PRACTICING THEIR RELIGIOUS SERVICES.

AND WARDEN SALISBURY STATED SHE SENT OUT A MEMO,

THAT I HAVE A COPY OF, THAT SAYS,

YOUR WORK WILL COME BEFORE YOUR RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.

SO YOU CANNOT PRACTICE RELIGION UNTIL YOU GO AND WORK

AND DO WHAT I TELL YOU TO DO, BASICALLY.

YEAH. ANOTHER POINT THAT YOUR DAD HAS MADE

IS THAT HE HAS BEEN TRYING TO TALK TO MOM, JULIE.

OBVIOUSLY, THEY’VE BEEN MARRIED FOR A LONG TIME.

SHE’S ALSO IN PRISON IN KENTUCKY,

BUT THEY’VE NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY CONTACT AT ALL

OVER THE PHONE OR OBVIOUSLY IN PERSON.

I WANT TO LISTEN TO WHAT HE HAD TO TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

DID SHE SAY WHY SHE DENIED?

ACTUALLY, THE WARDEN WAS GOING TO ALLOW IT.

AND

SO WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT THE SHOT,

GIVEN WHAT HE MEANS—

YOU KNOW, WHEN THE CHAPEL WAS CLOSED DOWN,

HE SAYS HE PICKED UP A RED PHONE TO REPORT THAT,

WHICH HE SAYS HE WAS TOLD TO DO.

AND THEN HE WAS GIVEN A VIOLATION FOR THAT,

WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY TAKEN AWAY

BECAUSE HE WAS ABLE TO PROVE THAT HE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG.

BUT BACK TO YOUR MOM,

ALSO SERVING TIME AGAIN IN KENTUCKY.

I MEAN, HOW IS SHE DOING?

THAT’S LIKE ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE QUESTIONS

I’VE GOTTEN SINCE I STARTED COVERING THIS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING HOW YOUR MOM IS.

YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT’S HONESTLY THE FACT

THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COMMUNICATE

FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF IS BAFFLING TO ME.

WHEN YOU HAVE THE DEP DIRECTOR OF THE BOP,

COLLECT PETER, STATING THAT IT IS A PRIORITY

FOR HER TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER,

BUT YET YOU’RE PROHIBITING COMMUNICATION.

THAT’S AN ISSUE, AND IT FIRES ME UP.

BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MY MOTHER,

I MEAN, IT’S A STRUGGLE.

EVERY ON MY PODCAST UNLOCKED WITH SAVANNAH,

I WILL BE READING LETTERS THAT SHE HAS WRITTEN FROM PRISON,

AND ALMOST EVERY SINGLE LETTER, SHE SAYS,

“I MISS MY HUSBAND SO BADLY. IT HURTS.”

YEAH. I MEAN, LOVE OR HATE HIM,

IF THERE’S NO DENYING, HE’S PRETTY FEARLESS.

I MEAN, THE FACT THAT HE’S STILL SPEAKING OUT FROM THE PRISON—

TO ME, AND WE KIND OF WARNED HIM THE FIRST TIME,

I’M LIKE, ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?

BECAUSE YOU DON’T HEAR ABOUT PRISONERS TALKING ABOUT THE CONDITIONS

VERY MUCH WHILE THEY’RE STILL ON THE INSIDE,

BECAUSE THERE IS OFTEN RETALIATION,

AND HE’S VERY SERIOUS THAT HE WANTS TO CONTINUE SPEAKING OUT.

I WANT TO PLAY SOMETHING ELSE HE TOLD ME,

AND THEN WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT ON THE OTHER SIDE.

WHEN I GOING

SO THE POINT HE’S TRYING TO MAKE THERE IS—

AGAIN, HE DOESN’T TRY TO TALK TO ME MUCH ABOUT HIS CASE

OR REALLY EVEN ABOUT WHAT HE’S GOING THROUGH IN THE PRISON.

IT’S MORE ABOUT WHAT HE SEES OTHER PEOPLE GOING THROUGH—

ELDERLY INMATES.

YOU HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT THE GUY WHO WE CALL “SLAM,”

WHO HAD THE HEART ATTACK.

HE ALSO TOLD ME ABOUT A GENTLEMAN WITH ALZHEIMER’S IN THAT PRISON—

A MAN IN HIS 70s WHO WASN’T GETTING PROPER CARE

AND THEN KIND OF JUST MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED.

NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THIS MAN ENDED UP.

SO IT SEEMS LIKE HIS CONCERN IS REALLY ABOUT THE OTHER MEN THERE.

FOR SURE.

I THINK I EYEWITNESS THE SCENE DURING VISITATIONS.

THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO SAY,

“THANK YOU FOR FIGHTING FOR US. NO ONE WOULD LISTEN.”

NO ONE WILL LISTEN UNTIL NOW.

AND I THINK REPORTS SHOW FOR THEMSELVES.

THERE WAS JUST A REPORT THAT CAME OUT

THAT STATED THAT OVER 300—

AND I WANT TO SAY IT WAS 344 INMATE DEATHS—

OVER HALF OF THEM WERE SUICIDES.

AND THAT’S BECAUSE THE BOP DOES NOT HAVE PROPER PROCEDURES IN PLACE,

OR THEY’RE NOT FOLLOWING THOSE PROCEDURES TO SAVE THESE MEN.

AND SO YOU HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS WITHIN OUR OWN FEDERAL PRISON SYSTEM.