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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

who have done that.

And the best story -- and then we can talk about prison reform and all the other prison stories, because I think I have some more -- but the best one involved the following: I went into the Federal House of Detention (it was my first jail). I think I went in there because there had been a riot. They had killed the riot with tear gas, and I really wanted to know what had happened. There's nothing wrong with tear gas to kill riots, but I wanted to know what happened, and so I went in there. It's an old building: it's now closed, as you know. And the warden, whose name was Fitzgerald, took me around. And I said, “I want to see the maximum security section,” whatever that means. I didn't know myself. So he takes me into this room, large room, and all sides of it were cells. And I went over and I spoke to a couple of the prisoners, and they're explaining that they're being tortured with the tear gas, and they're not getting their food. I must say, I discounted their claims. But it was immediately after a riot, and the food was on a plate and was handed under the bars. These were the rioteers. So they were not getting the regular treatment.

And as I'm in that room, suddenly I hear a voice and see an arm reach out of a cell, and the voice says: “Congressman, can I have a word with you?” I say to the warden, “Can I go over there by myself?” He said, “Sure.” So I walk over, and this guy -- there are now three in the cell: a white guy --





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