I remember one time I saw a high school classmate who asked me, "Hey Fred, what you've been up to?" And I said, "Working my way to prison."
About nine months later, I did go to prison—for possession of 12.8 grams of marijuana. I was given a 6-months-to-10-years sentence and became prisoner B28545. I wasn't a hardcore criminal—just an addict who didn't like myself.
In prison, if you were a member of a gang, and you were in trouble, the gang would back you. I joined a hardcore group of guys, a notorious prison gang, in 1971, and tried to make everyone believe I was hard and cold. Even got the name of our gang tattooed on my chest like a brand.
But inside, I was scared to death.
