<P> In 1981, Chapman was imprisoned at Attica Correctional Facility outside of Buffalo, New York . After he fasted for twenty six days in February 1982, the New York State Supreme Court authorized the state to force feed him . Martin Von Holden, the director of the Central New York Psychiatric Center, said Chapman still refused to eat with other inmates but agreed to take liquid nutrients . Chapman was confined to a special handling unit (SHU) for violent and at - risk prisoners, in part due to concern he may be harmed by Lennon's fans in the general population . There were 105 prisoners in the building who were "not considered a threat to him," according to the New York State Department of Correctional Services . He had his own prison cell, but spent "most of his day outside his cell working on housekeeping and in the library ." </P> <P> Chapman worked in the prison as a legal clerk and kitchen helper . He was barred from participating in the Cephas Attica workshops, a charitable organization helping inmates adjust to life outside prison . He was also prohibited from attending the prison's violence and anger management classes due to concern for his safety . Chapman reportedly enjoys reading and writing short stories . At his parole board hearing in 2004, he described his plans; "I would immediately try to find a job, and I really want to go from place to place, at least in the state, church to church, and tell people what happened to me and point them the way to Christ ." He also said he thought there was a possibility he could find work as a farmhand or return to his previous trade as a printer . </P> <P> Chapman is in the Family Reunion Program, and is allowed one conjugal visit a year with his wife, since he accepted solitary confinement . The program allows him to spend up to forty - two hours alone with his wife in a specially built prison home . He also gets occasional visits from his sister, clergy, and a few friends . In 2004, James Flateau, a spokesman for the Department of Correctional Services, said Chapman had been involved in three "minor incidents" between 1989 and 1994 for delaying an inmate count and refusing to follow an order . On May 15, 2012, Chapman was transferred to the Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York, which is east of Buffalo . </P> <P> Chapman first became eligible for parole in 2000 . Under New York state law, he is required to have a parole hearing every two years from that year onwards . Since that time, a three - member board has denied Chapman parole nine times . Shortly before Chapman's first hearing, Yoko Ono sent a letter to the board opposing his release from prison . In addition, New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio, chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, wrote to Parole Board Chairman Brion Travis saying: "It is the responsibility of the New York State Parole Board to ensure that public safety is protected from the release of dangerous criminals like Chapman ." </P>

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