Cari asked J.J.:
J.J. Answers:
"When you first come to prison, you are evaluated. I have talked about how fellow inmates size you up, but there are many other evaluations as well.
Your blood is drawn. They give you a physical. You have to get a T.B. shot. A nurse warns you of all the diseases that swarm these prisons. Hepatitis, scabies, T.B., staff infections, AIDS – the list goes on. One of the most common problems encountered is spider-bites. You women should love that. We have Black Widow spiders, Brown Recluse spiders, and Brown Wood spiders. All are poisonous. These spiders are everywhere here. I have been bit, and most everyone I know has. This basically covers the medical aspect.
During your entire prison stay, you are given security evaluations. This basically means, how well do you play with others? If you fight a lot, or are confrontational with guards, you are graded poorly on your monthly evaluation. This affects your housing level. Kind of like a demerit system, you can get positive or negative marks against you.
The best way to do your time is under the radar. Every time you get into trouble, the officers notice you and your name. You don’t want that. The goal is to blend, and stay unnoticed.
At times, this is difficult. In this world, you have to look out for yourself. There are times you have to do what you have to do. The key is to maintain control over yourself and your actions. Yeah, I know… if I did that on the street, I wouldn’t be here. Hindsight is 20/20.
There are basically two types of housing in prison. Well, three – low risk, high risk and confinement. I almost forgot about the box!
Photo by publik15 on flickr.com
You are housed according to your monthly evaluations. Keep your nose clean and you end up in low-risk housing, or what we call open-bay housing. Get in trouble and cause problems and you go to medium or high-risk housing, sometimes by way of confinement.
Maybe you’ve heard of the band 3 Doors Down. ...One of my favorites. That term refers to a housing level. Maximum security. Basically this means there are three doors between you and the regular compound. Your room is a two-man cell. You have a sink and a toilet, a small bunk, and that’s it. There is a solid metal door that slides closed on your room. This is the first door. Outside that door is what we call that cat-walk. There are other two-man cells all around the perimeter. This makes what is called your cell block.
Your cell block has a metal sliding door that separates you once again from the other wing of the building. That is door number 2. Door number three opens to the main compound. Troubled or problem inmates are housed behind these doors. Guys with a lot of time – perhaps even life – these are the guys to watch out for. They rob you, pick fights, and nearly all of them carry a weapon of some sort. You learn to sleep with one eye open, literally.
Low-risk is referred to as open-bay housing, which is just that …A huge open building with bunk-beds throughout. There are usually 60-80 guys in an open-bay setup. There is a common shower area and toilet areas. I wrote about that. This housing is fairly casual. You only have one door to the compound. There is a lot of farting, snoring, and shit-talking, and much less of a chance you’ll get stabbed in your sleep. We refer to max-housing as the concrete jungle. Open bay is laid-back. However, you have to always remember you live with convicted felons. People who broke the law. This is far from boy’s camp.
I have been blessed. I have a talent with art. Most of my time is spent working on art, or writing for J.J. This project has helped me tremendously. My time seems to fly by. I put on my headphones and ride out… either on my art or on stories like you’re reading now.
Thanks for joining me. Just another day in the life of a prisoner. You’ve been chillin’ with the Tattoo’d Hooligan. Please drop your questions off. I would love to hear from you.
Until next time… obey the law!!"
M.S.
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