So . . . Jail Again
{From now on, I will be posting/transcribing for Stuart. Hopefully, his family will occasionally post for him as well. Until I hear otherwise, expect postings for Stuart to be made by me. I will relay as quickly as possible. Oh, & who am I? I am Stephanie!)
So, jail again. Not really part of the plan but sort of inevitable once you begin indulging in certain activities. Certainly not the high point of my life.
Actually, I shouldn't say, "jail again" because this is really the first time in "jail." Before, I was in "prison" and there is a HUGE difference between the two. Jail is where they put you in for storage between your arrest and either heading out or your trial. Prison is where you go to serve you sentence.
When I use the word "storage" that is exactly what I mean. Rack them in. Feed them the minimum required. Ignore them as much as possible. (NOTE: when I speak of jail I am speaking of the one I am in. Some others are better, some are worse. This is according to the testimony of the many "professional" inmates here.)
There are no education opportunities. Medical care is VERY limited (more on that later). Dental care can only be received if you have been here for at least 6 months and then all they will do is pull the tooth. Reading material is limited to 2 books at a time and you can't get a new book without turning in your old one, and it has to be at least 30 days since you got it. (This is rough on avid, fast readers such as myself.) Religious sermons here consist of a couple Pentecostal ministers who come once a week for a rousing tongue speaking fest. (Not really my thing.) There is a television. They will (if they think about it) change the channel twice a day. Needless to say, lowest common denominator TV is the rule. Not that you can hear it anyway over the talking, yelling, barking, cursing, etc. that is constantly going on.
A brief description of the living facility. I am in a bin, triangular concrete & metal space with 9 cells holding up to 6 men each in two tiers on the back wall. The day room is filled with metal tables with attached little round seats. If you walk around the perimeter of the room (something I do lots of) it is 35 full strides around. This is referred to as the "hamster wheel." It is the only sort of semi-aerobic exercise you can get in here. It can be enhanced with trips up and down the staircase (until a guard tells you to get off), or by doing lunge steps or something while walking. Pushups are pretty common. I am holding steady at about 200 a day. More exercise than this is discouraged.
In the 6 months I have spent here I have had "yard call" maybe 10 times. This consists of being taken to an enclosed paved space where you can sit, or walk in a circle. You can see the sky but nothing else. The four windows in the facility have been painted over with orange paint that allows in light but you can't see out (except in places where the paint has peeled off). The guards yell at you if you spend too much time near the windows.
The cells are about 16'x10' with three metal bunk beds, and a stainless steel toilet/sink combo. You get a thin mat, 2 sheets & one blanket for sleeping. The good thing about this place is that it has A/C unlike many other country jails.
There are three showers for the cell block of which only one works. It is a push button thing that sprays water (REALLY REALLY HOT WATER!!!) for 3-30 seconds. Well, until last week when it broke and now won't turn off (creating a fungus ridden sauna in the shower room). Oh well.
More later.
So, jail again. Not really part of the plan but sort of inevitable once you begin indulging in certain activities. Certainly not the high point of my life.
Actually, I shouldn't say, "jail again" because this is really the first time in "jail." Before, I was in "prison" and there is a HUGE difference between the two. Jail is where they put you in for storage between your arrest and either heading out or your trial. Prison is where you go to serve you sentence.
When I use the word "storage" that is exactly what I mean. Rack them in. Feed them the minimum required. Ignore them as much as possible. (NOTE: when I speak of jail I am speaking of the one I am in. Some others are better, some are worse. This is according to the testimony of the many "professional" inmates here.)
There are no education opportunities. Medical care is VERY limited (more on that later). Dental care can only be received if you have been here for at least 6 months and then all they will do is pull the tooth. Reading material is limited to 2 books at a time and you can't get a new book without turning in your old one, and it has to be at least 30 days since you got it. (This is rough on avid, fast readers such as myself.) Religious sermons here consist of a couple Pentecostal ministers who come once a week for a rousing tongue speaking fest. (Not really my thing.) There is a television. They will (if they think about it) change the channel twice a day. Needless to say, lowest common denominator TV is the rule. Not that you can hear it anyway over the talking, yelling, barking, cursing, etc. that is constantly going on.
A brief description of the living facility. I am in a bin, triangular concrete & metal space with 9 cells holding up to 6 men each in two tiers on the back wall. The day room is filled with metal tables with attached little round seats. If you walk around the perimeter of the room (something I do lots of) it is 35 full strides around. This is referred to as the "hamster wheel." It is the only sort of semi-aerobic exercise you can get in here. It can be enhanced with trips up and down the staircase (until a guard tells you to get off), or by doing lunge steps or something while walking. Pushups are pretty common. I am holding steady at about 200 a day. More exercise than this is discouraged.
In the 6 months I have spent here I have had "yard call" maybe 10 times. This consists of being taken to an enclosed paved space where you can sit, or walk in a circle. You can see the sky but nothing else. The four windows in the facility have been painted over with orange paint that allows in light but you can't see out (except in places where the paint has peeled off). The guards yell at you if you spend too much time near the windows.
The cells are about 16'x10' with three metal bunk beds, and a stainless steel toilet/sink combo. You get a thin mat, 2 sheets & one blanket for sleeping. The good thing about this place is that it has A/C unlike many other country jails.
There are three showers for the cell block of which only one works. It is a push button thing that sprays water (REALLY REALLY HOT WATER!!!) for 3-30 seconds. Well, until last week when it broke and now won't turn off (creating a fungus ridden sauna in the shower room). Oh well.
More later.
posted by exMI | 14:57
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