The Inmate Pulpit

The Inmate Pulpit Join a personal journey with an incarcerated Arizona Inmate as he shares his life stories. First things first, Welcome and THANK YOU! Logan. And so much more!

for taking the time to look at my page. This is going to be a journey that I hope you will make with me. So, Who's Behind the Pulpit? I am the creator and author behind The Inmate Pulpit, Arizona inmate JD Merrick. I have been serving a 25-year-to-life sentence for felony murder, kidnapping, and armed robbery under the name of Jeffrey M. I was in my early 20s in 1992 -- over 30 years ago -- when I

was convicted for the crimes, I profess that the crimes happened, but I did not commit the crimes, that I have been convicted and incarcerated for. My story is both fascinating and terrible. If you care to learn more about “JD (AKA: Jeffrey M. Logan),” you can request a copy of my crime story (FOR FREE) by writing me directly below:

JD MERRICK, #099252
ARIZONA STATE PRISON COMPLEX - TUCSON
RINCON MED SNU 7A12
PO BOX 24403
TUCSON, ARIZONA 85734

I legally changed my name in 1999 after I received Christ in my life. It is a fascinating story about repentance and true change. Some argue that I am evidence of how God can transform anyone into a new person. Born Jewish and raised by Jewish and Catholic parents, I was too confused to believe in God. Especially in light of all the pain I experienced as a child. My kind and incredible mother fought to protect me from a number of men who sought to abuse me, including a violent stepfather and ex-cop who abused me and my two teen stepsisters. I began running away from home, starting around 12 years old and ended up in and out of juvenile detention facilities. I became a ward of the state in California and was forced to live in group homes until I aged out at 18 without a penny to my name or a place to go in the 1980s. Eventually, after living life on the streets and committing petty crimes to survive, I fought for my life amid the false allegations that I robbed and killed someone. In 1996, 4 years after being sent to prison for life, I had a powerful experience that drove me into the arms of Jesus Christ, who forever changed my life. It is a story in itself that will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart. I delved deep into religious studies for years, and by the grace of God, I ended up teaching advanced biblical studies to inmates every week in a classroom setting between 2005 - early 2015. How I got, there is a miracle all of its own. In March 2015, my health turned downward, and I was rehoused inside the Inmate Intensive Patient Care Facility for around-the-clock care. Living in Tucson, Arizona, 8 years later, I remain in a healthcare setting, but my health is stable. I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). I believe wholeheartedly that God chose me to share the Word of God with the sickest inmates in all of Arizona who needed Christ in their lives more than most. I was able to be with some inmates even as they died. I have chosen this social media platform to share the following with anyone willing to listen:

1. I want to share my life story so others can realize there is hope for everyone, no matter what you've done. Perhaps I can help convince some to turn from a life of bad choices before they end up in prison themselves. Change starts within yourself, but you are not alone and will always find what inspires you.

2. I want to shed light on life inside of the Arizona prison system, where inmates face horrible unconstitutional living conditions. I will share stories about prison officials who expose inmates to life-threatening hazards while also sharing stories about some prison staff members who fight to protect inmates. You will read powerful articles about other inmates. I want to be a voice for inmates in their raw and true form, advocating for changes in our justice system for the treatment of the incarcerated.

3. For those who want to know the truth about the Word of God and the best way to study your Bible, join me as I teach Scripture in a way that may change your life forever. There will never be pressure, judgment, or criticism, I won't sugarcoat the meaning of Scripture. I teach the Bible from its Jewish roots, as God intended it. John 4:22. Join me on this fascinating, eye-opening journey. In exchange, I want nothing from anyone except for people to be kind to others and to give all honor and praise to God and Jesus Christ (AKA: Yeshua, the beloved Messiah). I'd love to hear any comments and discussions you may have. Let’s start the conversations and share. Sincerely,

JD Merrick

11/01/2023

MESSAGE OF THE MONTH

Right now the world is in turmoil and up in protests over the war in Israel and Palestine. While so many are quick to point the finger at one another let us remember the Scripture that says:

"Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Gentiles or to the assemblies of God." 1 Corinthians 10:12.

Instead of being judgy let us instead pray for the peace of everyone who is affected by the war in the Middle East. Also, pray for the hostages taken by Hamas that they be returned to their families in good health.

JD

10/13/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-75-77-immigration-prisons.pdf

10/13/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-71-74-solitary-confinement.pdf

10/13/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-69-70-prison-rape.pdf

10/13/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-67-68-prison-labor.pdf

09/21/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-48-49-prosecutors-pleas.pdf

09/18/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-42-43-school-to-prison-pipeline.pdf

09/07/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-57-66-special-populations.pdf

08/24/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-16-international-comparisons.pdf

08/16/2023

https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/MIH/MIH-5-6-why-jews-should-care.pdf

OLD TESTAMENT vs. NEW TESTAMENTAre They Different or Do They Complement Each Other?By: JD Merrick Facebook: The Inmate...
08/16/2023

OLD TESTAMENT vs. NEW TESTAMENT
Are They Different or Do They Complement Each Other?
By: JD Merrick Facebook: The Inmate Pulpit © 08/07/23

One of the most debatable subjects ever to confront Christianity, dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century, is whether or not the Old and New Testaments complement each other. Ask most Christians and their so-called Bible scholars, and they will adamantly insist that the New Testament cancels the Old and the Old Testament is only good for its historical content. Any so-called scholar who pushes this radical view is not qualified to teach the Bible, let alone have a conversation about the Bible without running the risk of misleading others. This is why the brother of Yeshua said not many should become Bible teachers. James 3:1.

The Old Testament (we will call it the Tanakh for reasons I will explain soon) is the benchmark against which all subsequent revelation and divine instructions must be checked. See, e.g., 2 Timothy 3:15-17 Romans 15:4. Divine revelation may be progressive as the prophets reveal more about God and His plan, but subsequent revelations cannot contradict or supplant the initial revelation. We cannot use a later revelation of God to supersede an earlier one because that would deny God's integrity and immutability. In other words, the God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament is the same God who revealed Himself in His blessed Son, Yeshua the Messiah. Matthew 5:17-21. The New Testament can never supplant the Tanakh in any way, shape, or form. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Hebrews 13:8. Those who assert and argue that differences can be found between the Testaments are people who are ignorant and do not adequately comprehend the Scriptures.

People who try to convince others that the Tanakh is nothing more than a book of antiquated laws done away with in Yeshua are actually doing the work of the Devil, whether they realize it or not. Of these persons, the Apostle Paul writes, "For such are false messengers, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles (messengers) of Messiah. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.

Yeshua was careful to address this very issue early on in His ministry, at Matthew 5:17-19.

Do not think that I came to destroy the Tanakh (the law or the prophets). I did not come to destroy but to fulfill (i.e., to make replete, to give it full understanding). For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Tanakh is an acronym, like the F.B.I. (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

T = Torah (Laws of Moses/Divine Obstructions)
N = Nevi'im (Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.)
KH = Ketuvim (Writings: Psalms, Chronicles, etc.)

Whenever the Israelites referred to the Scriptures, they NEVER referred to it as the bible -- and the first believers in Messiah NEVER made distinctions between the Old and New Testaments. The so-called Old Testament was always referred to as the Tanakh. E.g., Luke 24:44. In shorthand, the Tanakh was called the Scriptures. Luke 24:45 and 2 Timothy 3:15-16.

The New Testament was early in antiquity called the New Covenant, but NEVER the New Testament. The only reason it was identified as the New Covenant is because of passages like Jeremiah 31:31. Believers rightfully concluded that the apostolic writings was a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-34:

Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD:

I will put my Torah in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

The Tanakh is a book of glory. It isn't just a list of rules like many so-called preachers assert. The Tanakh is a revelation of God and His divine splendor. For example, in the book of Exodus, Moses said to God, "Show me your glory." This means show me who you really are. Reveal yourself to me. God began revealing Himself to Moses, and now to us, saying, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Exodus 34:6-7.

The Old Testament isn't an Old Testament. No more is The New Testament new. The word testament is a poor translation. The actual word is covenant. Old Covenant and New Covenant. See Hebrews 7:22; 8:6-10. The word "testament" means a statement. The New Testament is not new at all. The Old Covenant spoke of a Messiah, and it told us who he was and what would happen when he came. E.g., see Genesis 3:15; 49:8-12; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; 1 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 22; Isaiah 53, etc. This is just a fraction of the specific and accurate prophecies about the Messiah. All of these passages (and more) came to fruition and were recorded vis--vis the New Covenant. As Yeshua declared, "Think not that I have come to abolish the Tanakh. I have not. I came to fulfill it." Unfortunately, far too many untrained preachers claim that this means he brought an end to the law and the prophecies, which clearly contradicts the words of Messiah.

Just because God makes a new covenant with man, it doesn't mean that the older covenant is negated. When God makes a covenant with man, the covenant is eternal. It never goes away. Name one covenant the Bible says was done away with? You won't find a single one. See, e.g., Genesis 9:11-12, 16; 17:7, 13; Exodus 31:16; Numbers 18:19; 25:13; etc., etc. Any and all covenants found in the Older Covenant are still relevant in the Newer Covenant and today.

Another failed argument made by false teachers has to do with God's character. In the Old Covenant, false teachers say that God was angry, wrathful, and lacked mercy toward His creation. They assert that the God in the New Covenant is a God of mercy and compassion. This failed argument is one of the reasons why most Christians read and study out of the New Covenant, almost completely ignoring the Older Covenant.

Again, this argument is erroneous for a couple of reasons. First, the most obvious reason is that God never changes. Malachi 3:6. He is the same in the Older! And Newer Covenants. Secondly, God does not make mistakes, so whatever He did in the Old Covenant He is free to do again in the New Covenant and in the future. This includes destroying millions of people on Judgement Day, including those who deliberately deny divinity, His sovereignty and practice violating his laws. See e.g., Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-29; Matthew 13:47-50.

I like to think of the covenants this way. The Older Covenant is a portrait of God, and the Newer Covenant is that portrait made alive. This is not in any way to suggest that God wasn't alive and present in the Older Covenant. On the contrary, He was very much alive and present in the Older Covenant. I mean only that mankind is first introduced to God in the Older Covenant by way of His word and Spirit. In the Newer Covenant God was presented to man in person through His Son, Yeshua, the blessed Messiah.

In closing, both covenants, the Older and Newer, are incredibly relevant together. Paul relied heavily on the teachings and laws of the Older Covenant when it came to presenting the Messiah and the Laws of God by which we must all try very hard to uphold. Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:15:17. Anyone who separates the two covenants, or who elevates one above the other, is not a servant of the Lord but rather a disciple of the Devil.

Praise God!

Scripture Index:

1 Samuel 7:14

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

2 Timothy 3:15-16
2 Timothy 3:15-17

Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Exodus 31:16
Exodus 34:6-7

Genesis 3:15; 49:8-12
Genesis 9:11-12, 16; 17:7, 13

Hebrews 13:8
Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-29
Hebrews 7:22; 8:6-10

Isaiah 53

James 3:1

Jeremiah 31:31
Jeremiah 31:31-34

Luke 24:44
Luke 24:45

Malachi 3:6

Matthew 13:47-50
Matthew 5:17-21

Numbers 18:19; 25:13

Psalm 22

Romans 15:4
Romans 15:4; 2

Timothy 3:15:17

INMATE HANGS SELF WHILE PRISON STAFF SWITCHES OFF CAMERASBy: JD Merrick Facebook: The Inmate Pulpit/Life Inside © 8/01...
08/15/2023

INMATE HANGS SELF WHILE PRISON STAFF SWITCHES OFF CAMERAS
By: JD Merrick Facebook: The Inmate Pulpit/Life Inside © 8/01/2023

The Rincon Unit at the Arizona State Prison Complex - Tucson is a facility that houses the most severely mentally ill inmates in the state of Arizona. One house in particular - Housing Unit 8 - houses inmates who are a risk to themselves by means of self-harm, like attempted su***de.

CONTINUOUS WATCH

HU8 staff have various levels of self-harm prevention. The first and perhaps most effective level of protection is placing inmates on a Continuous Watch. Inmates under a continuous watch are stripped of all clothing and personal property, to include shoelaces and sheets, which are regularly used by inmates to hang themselves. The inmates are given a thick security blanket to keep warm and for modesty reasons. At all times, an officer sits in front of the cell, watching the inmate and journaling his activity, like eating and sleeping. Usually, a Continuous Watch lasts 3 days, if the inmate expresses he is no longer willing to harm himself. Often the inmate will lie to a mental health official who must evaluate the inmate. If the inmate says he won't hurt himself, then the psychologist will release the inmate from a Continuous Watch for a step down 30 Minute Watch. On a 30 Minute Watch, no longer is there an officer sitting and watching the inmate constantly.

CONTINUOUS ELECTRONIC MONITORING

Inmates who are on a 30 Minute Watch are supposed to be monitored via security cameras in every cell by officers in the control room. Not to mention staff must conduct physical health and welfare walks to ensure each inmate is breathing and not in any sort of distress. Let policy the health and welfare walks must take place every 20-30 minutes. Also, each cell is shown on a large 55–65-inch television in the control room via security cameras.

A BROKEN PROCESS

If the inmate manages to keep from further talk or acts of self-harm during this period, or if he manages to convincingly lie to his mental health evaluators that he won’t harm himself, he can then return to general population without further psychiatric monitoring. The process from beginning to and generally lasts 3-4 days.

To be clear, this author is not a trained psychologist and does not pretend to assume he understands mental health and or treatments for mental health disorders. However, it is hard to comprehend how a mere 3–4-day watch satisfactorily clears an inmate of self-harm.

For starters, the conditions of HU8 are atrocious. There is constant screaming and banging all day and all night by inmates, making any amount of sleep or self-reflection possible. Adding to the incessant noise, there is also the constant exposure to offensive gases that staff must sometimes use on inmates, such as mace. The smell and irritants caused by the gases can impact several inmates in either direction. In other words, inmates would naturally lie and tell mental health staff whatever they want to hear in order to get out of HU8.

HU8 is not a perfect program. At the same time, it is unrealistic for prison officials to create or maintain a program that houses multiple inmates in a unit absent gases and loud sounds. The mental health staff who are assigned to cases inside HU8, in this author's humble opinion, are some of the best and most qualified to handle inmate cases. This being said, the staff are forced to work within the parameters set forth by prison administrators and courts.

It seems that the su***de watch program should be longer than a mere 3-4 days. It is true, however, the time can be extended by a psychologist if they are satisfied the inmate is no longer a risk to themselves or to others. This, however, does not take into account all those inmates who will say whatever the evaluators want to hear just so they can get out of the program.

UNTRAINED SECURITY STAFF

There is one more factor that, in this author's opinion, complicates the health of inmates within HU8 -- some security staff. There are some officers who work security inside of HU8 who should not be working there. They can often be heard calling an inmate’s name, threatening them, withholding showers and hygiene, etc. It is true that HU8 is a high-stress environment, but the officers cannot respond in such a way that can or will exacerbate an inmate’s mental health. The ADC, in conjunction with mental health staff, needs to ensure that all officers go through training programs before they are assigned to work in HU8.

INMATE HANGS SELF WHILE STAFF IGNORES CAMERAS

On the evening of July 31, 2023, the officers assigned to the HU8 Control Room did not monitor the cell cameras of the inmates on 30 Minute Watches as protocol dictates. Whenever staff fail to watch the cameras, they will "time out" and automatically shut off. According to preliminary reports amongst staff, the security cameras timed out on Monday evening. During this time, inmate John Doe took a bed sheet and successfully hanged himself. For the sake of the inmate's privacy and his family members, his name will remain anonymous.

Sadly, this is not the first su***de at the Arizona State Prison Complex - Tucson so far this year. According to one officer who wants to remain anonymous, this is the fifth inmate su***de this year that she knows about. Just prior to posting this article, this author spoke to multiple inmates who are housed in HU8, and all agreed that staff rarely watch the cameras in their cells. When asked how they knew this to be true, they all laughed and said, "Because we smoke and pass things all the time, and staff rarely say anything. If they saw us smoking, they would stop us." Smoking and passing is prohibited in HU8.

Address

Arizona State Prison Complex/Tucson, Rincon Med SNU 7A12 PO Box 24403
Tucson, AZ
85734

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