Todd Chrisley claims he was treated differently than Black inmates in prison

Yahoo

2 days ago

Todd Chrisley claimed that he witnessed systemic issues firsthand while he was in prison.
After being released from FPC Pensacola in Florida thanks to President Donald Trump's pardon, Todd, 56, opened up about his experience behind bars during a press conference in Nashville on Friday.
'I have met some wonderful men. I have listened to some horrific stories about things that have gone on in our system,' Todd said with his daughter, Savannah Chrisley, by his side.
'I will continue to fight for all of the guys that I dealt with and that I was blessed to be with at FPC Pensacola,' the 'Chrisley Knows Best' star stated. 'I will continue to expose the injustices that go on there and throughout the Bureau of Prisons.'
Todd continued, 'Being in the prison system, anyone that says that it's a fair shake — it's not. 'Because I dealt with young African-American males in the prison that I was in that were not treated the same.'
'They were denied programming. They were denied access to certain things,' he claimed. 'I was not denied that, but we know why I wasn't denied that. And so I think that that is a much bigger picture that we all as a society as a whole need to look at: that we are one.'
Todd also revealed what his fellow inmates' reactions were to his release.
'When I left that day, there was only 317 men at our camp, but they were lined up shouting when I was walking out and they were saying 'Dont forget us, don't forget us' and my commitment is to them that I will never forget them,' Todd shared.
Todd and his wife, Julie Chrisley, were pardoned by Trump, 78, after they were convicted of faking documents to obtain over $30 million in loans, and then dumping them by declaring bankruptcy.
Todd, 56, was released from his 12-year prison sentence at Florida's FPC Pensacola, while Julie, 52, was pardoned from her seven-year stretch at FMC Lexington in Kentucky. They each served a little over two years of their sentences.
During the news conference, Todd insisted that his conviction was unjust.
'Even though this pardon has happened, I still was convicted of something that I did not do,' he said.
'It could be you. It could be any of you,' Todd told the group of reporters. 'And somewhere in this room, someone has had a family member who has been affected by this system. I understand the shame that's around it, but I refuse to feed into that because shame is like a cancer that just spreads, and I have no shame.'
Todd and Julie, who have been married since 1996, reunited at their Tennessee home after their prison releases in front of the cameras for a new reality show.
Savannah, who fought for her parents' freedom, told People that it's 'been amazing' to have Todd and Julie home.
'We were going to bed last night. We're like, 'Is this real?' And then, I wake up this morning and my mom's walking into my bedroom and I'm like, it's absolutely insane!' she said.