All in a Day

“I have tried to write pieces that allow you to see into a day behind these walls.  There are so many reality shows and documentaries that many times paint the wrong picture.  Prisoners vary in many different ways.  Rules and regulations vary from state to state, but also prison to prison.  During my time with the Department of Corrections, I have been through four different prisons.  The rules have been different at each one.

First, let me clear up a few common misconceptions.  There has been no air conditioning in any prison that I have been in.  Next, there is no cable TV.  Last, but not least, the food is terrible.  If you want A.C., you can go to solitary confinement – trust me, it’s not worth it.  When you want to eat something that tastes good, you buy it from the canteen.  As far as TV goes, the officer on duty has control of the remote.  You watch what he puts on, and many times it’s the home-shopping network because they think it’s funny to fuck with us."

"When I first came to prison, we literally had a weight pile.  There were benches, dumb-bells, presses… all sorts of exercise equipment.  The problem is that all of us were getting big, and the guards stay the same size.  So instead of them lifting and working out, the easier solution was to remove all of the weights.  They did that instead.

We do our best to work around this and use our own body weight as resistance.  If you’re doing push-ups, you have a buddy lay across your back.  Then you can take advantage of both his and your body weight.  For legs we have a guy sit on your shoulders, and then squat them.  This is our solution.

Basketball courts are common on most compounds.  I’m 5’10” and leave that sport to the 7-foot-tall dudes.  I have a few friends who play, and I watch games from time to time."

(Borrowed from C.H.A.R.M. Prison Ministries website)

"My favorite sport was softball, which was recently banned.  That was a real trip.  …Takes some getting used to here.  You see, the bat is chained to the home plate.  Don’t need anyone running around with an aluminum ball-bat.

The prison I am at currently has volleyball.  I enjoy the game and play from time to time.

My favorite form of exercise is working out.  I run between two to four miles each day.  Since I stopped smoking I enjoy running.  My different buddies live in other dorms across the compound.  The rec. yard is where we all get together.  Our crew meets up and we work out 5 days a week.

The rec. yard can also be a dangerous place.  Your TV shows do accurately depict this.  We are split up in different dorms.  If guys have a ‘beef’ and need to ‘straighten’ something out, many times it goes down on the rec. yard.  Well, anywhere guys can get at each other.  This could also be the chow hall, or, unfortunately, the chapel.

For this reason, guys in prison ‘clique’ up.  Gangs are big.  Nearly every gang is represented on prison compounds.  The Latinos all ride together, or the black guys or white guys.  Some guys don’t get into the gang crap.  I’m not down with all that.  I have a crew of guys.  They are merely my homeboys.  Guys who work out together… A mixed racial group.  We work out together and are here just trying to better ourselves, mentally and physically.  These dudes are also the biggest dudes on the ‘pound usually.  I like to surround myself with guys who want to further themselves.  I’m just trying to do my time so I can get home to my family and loved ones.

There are rules in prison that are made by the state and warden.  This is what we have for ‘compound rules.’  Then there are the rules that we make for each other.

They make us shave our heads, dress in full uniforms, and walk in straight lines.  The prison has a book of their rules and regulations.  Most of their rules are petty, and are more to inconvenience us than anything.  You break their rules and they may give you paperwork, consisting of loss of your ‘good’ time, or gain-time.  Worst case, they lock you in confinement, or the box, as we call it.  Then you have the unwritten rules.  The rules we make for each other.

These rules are much more serious.  These are not written in any book, but can get you beat, raped, or killed.  You learn these as you go.  If you’re lucky, someone will explain them to you.  That’s why you don’t come in to prison acting like you own the place.  If nobody likes you, then they don’t explain the rules to you.  We call this ‘setting someone up for failure.’  Then you find out the hard way.

Before coming to prison, I was living the street life.  It’s a dangerous way to live.  Everybody totin’ fire and ready to throw down at the drop.  Am I speaking German?  Everybody has a gun and is ready to fire off.  That’s a lot like prison.

So when I came to prison, I had some street smarts.  I also kept my eyes peeled and watched my surroundings.  The rules are basically about respect for your neighbors.

Prison is confined space.  A lot of people in a small area.  You have to respect these other guys.

You don’t sit on another man’s bunk unless you are invited.  That bunk is your house.  You go to the bathroom if you have to fart.  You don’t stink up the area for everyone.  (Note: I will say that varies, and at times provides hours of entertainment.  We call it shitting on each other.  Dropping bombs and then quietly vacating the premises.  Also common is the ‘drive-by,’ which is pretty self-explanatory.  However!  Don’t do this is you are the new kid on the block.  You’ll probably have your ass handed to you.)"

 "Uhh… where were we?

You don’t cut in front of someone I line.  Wait your turn.  If you cough, sneeze, or burp - cover your mouth.  You don’t walk between two guys who are talking.  You don’t stare.  If you see something that causes a reaction like ‘What the FUCK?!?’ CALMLY go about your business as if you saw nothing.  Revert to the previous rule: Don’t stare!!  Stay out of alleys and dark corners.  And don’t get into debt.  That’s a set-up.  Somebody may collect on that ass (literally).

Doing time is really what you make of it.  That’s the bottom line.

Before I came to prison, I was pretty laid-back.  OK, no, I was not laid back, but I wasn’t a confrontational person by any means.  I’ve never been a bully EVER.  I was pushed around as a kid and I don’t like mean people.  Mean people suck!

Prison will change things about you though.  I used to run away from that bully.  Today I’ll straighten your ass.  We talk a lot of shit to each other.  At times it comes across as very aggressive.  You learn things back here.  A man that’s talking a bunch of shit probably isn’t going to do anything – notice I said “probably.”  Don’t quote me on that.

You watch out for the guy who doesn’t say a damn thing, then crushes your ass.  Something about empty cans rattle the most….

I talk a little shit, get warmed up, then start swingin.’  That goes a little like ‘ain’t the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.’ 

Your best bet?  …Obey the law and don’t get jammed up in this situation.  One day this life will be a fading memory for me.  Until then, I take one day at a time.

Guess that’s what we’re all doing. 

You take care now.”

-The Jailbird