This is NOT a Party

"The Warden threw a party in the county jail..."  Elvis Presley

I thought today would be a good time to try and explain what life is like in a county jail.  This is not going to be too exciting, but if is the only way I can give you a glimpse of what I see here.

Here in Portage, they use a pod system to house the general population.  These are shaped in a circular format.  At the center of the pod is an elevated control center secured behind glass windows.  There are large flat screen monitors used to monitor the cameras stationed around the floor.  There is a guard stationed inside who monitors all the activity.  He also opens and closes the steel doors that secure the pods.

There is a hallway around the tower and on the other side are three pods:  A, B and C.  This hallway is dimly lit to maximize the one-way glass.  Every time I leave to see the nurse, go to Bible study, Visitation, etc., I pass through this secure area.  From here I can see clearly into the other pods, but they cannot see me.  They usually can hear that someone is out there.  They like to put their faces to the glass in an attempt to see through the one-way glass the wrong way.

The pods are small communities of prisoners.  There is a sliding steel door with a glass window and a rectangular opening below; much like a mail slot, only this one has a steel flap that locks from the outside.  This opening is how we receive our meal trays and medications.  We never get to see who is on the other side.

The pod is two stories high.  The walls are made of cinder blocks and the floor is bare concrete.  The pod is a trainee shape with the widest point on the rear wall.  There are four cells on each floor and a set of steps lead up to the top.  There is a 27-inch flat screen television mounted fifteen feet up on the wall. The channels are limited to local free broadcasts.  This is how most guys spend their time.  The sound is usually set to LOUD and it bounces off the walls making it difficult to have a conversation or even read.

In the center of the pod there are three square, stainless steel tables for dining, game playing, etc.   What is missing here are chairs with back rests.  We often sit on the floor so we can lean on the wall.  Also, in the center area is a single shower enclosed by concrete blocks.  There is a vinyl curtain for privacy.  However, they have clear glass blocks on the side that the guards can view.  They do have a modesty block so the guards only view your feet and chest area.  There is an unwritten rule that states we cannot sing in the shower so I sing in my mind.

My cell is the first on the lower block under the stairway.  There are two frequently-used phones just outside my door.  It is difficult to hear conversations because of the television and other conversations but somehow we manage.

There is an automated steel sliding door to my cell that I cannot control.  It stays open during the day except for periods of lock down.  We are locked in starting 10 p.m.  The doors open at 4:30 a.m. for breakfast.  Every time I hear the door move I cringe as it is a stark reminder of where I am.

There isn't much for furniture in my room.  What I do have is bolted to the concrete.  There is plenty of space in my room, but I don't need much.  There is a single bunk with the standard blue mattress pad.  One end of the plastic mattress has a built-in pillow.  It is not a Sleep Number mattress, but if it were, my number would be set at 95!!!  We are issued two very thin sheets and a thin wool blanket.  None of them are long enough to cover my feet.  It is nearly impossible to keep the sheets on the mattress, even after tying knots in the corners.  I use one sheet to make a pillow.  I put my clean laundry in the center of the sheet and fold it up to make a nice pillow.  This has been working quite well for me considering I am used to sleeping with three feather pillows.  I just don't need all that luxury any more.

I have a very efficient bathroom just inches from my head.  This could prove to be handy if I feel the need to be sick.  There is a sink with hot and cold water.  If you let the hot water run long enough, you can have some warm coffee.  The built-in toilet is located just below the sink  They are powerful flushers so you need to hold on tight to the sink every time you flush!  With the rush of cold water, the stainless steel seat gets very cold.  You need to be sure the seat is dry before you sit or you risk having your cheeks frozen to the seat.

There is a small, steel, square table bolted to the wall along with a bench.  You need to hug the wall to get both cheeks on the bench.  To the left of the table is a shelf that has some hooks.  I guess you could say this is my 'closet'.  Further to the left is a stainless steel mirror that is scratched up.  I find it strange they mounted the mirror on the opposite wall as the sink.  This is certainly not efficient but then I'm not in much of a hurry.

On the North side of my cell there is a vent for the furnace that blows directly on my feet while I am sleeping.  The airflow is not gentle, like those in our homes.  It blows with hurricane force and it never takes a break.  My pod-mates showed me how to diffuse the wind with the help of some plastic spoons and a towel.

My favorite part of this cell is the 5-inch by 48-inch window.  I have a clear view of a flat roof and the ten-bay maintenance garage.  Next tot he garage is an impound lot where they have some badly-damaged cars from accidents.  Looking at the destruction, I can't imagine that there were any survivors. There is a large patch of woods beyond the barbed wire fence.  Every now and then I can see a freight train rolling through it.  I try to imagine the destination of the train so I can go along with it in my mind.

What I like the most about my window is watching the clouds to the North as they float by.  I wonder if those same clouds passed over Marshfield and if my wife saw them before I did?  I'll keep watching them in hopes that we saw the same cloud.

My room is bright with two fluorescent lights.  These are left on during the day.  At night they turn the off, but then they turn on a night light which is as bright as a 60-watt bulb.  This makes it hard to sleep, but it gives me the ability to read when I can't sleep.  I have learned to cover my eyes with a t-shirt so I can sleep.  I'm sure there has been many government studies that show that sleep deprivation improves the rehabilitation of prisoners!!

I'm sure it is no surprise to most of you that the food in jail lacks flavor and warmth.  They do not use any salt or much of any spice.  There was an exception to this the other night, they served a pepper steak that was tasty.  Others complained that it was too strong.  I, on the other hand, loved it!

Mealtimes here are very routine.  They announce the meal over a loud speaker and we line up at the door like milk cows heading to the barn.  They open up the feed bin on the door and slide our trays through one at a time.  They must think we are animals in a zoo.

They serve a lot of carbohydrates and soy based products.  I often look for items to give away or swap. Believe it or not, I try and stick to veggies and fruit, over bread and potatoes.  I look forward to a day when I have to wait for my food to cool off before I can eat it!  There is a federal inmate here waiting for a hearing.  He served his federal time at MCC which is near Soldier's Field in Chicago.  He tells me the food is much better and even warmer.  This gives me something to look forward to!

Our meals are served at very unusual times.
Breakfast  - 4:45 a.m.   (Really??)
Lunch  -- 11:30 a.m.
Dinner  -- 5:00 p.m.
Evening Popcorn -- Sorry, this was a dream!!!!

I was quite excited to learn that they have Bible Study on Wednesday and church on Saturday.  I signed up for both.  The Wednesday Study was attended by myself and one other guy.  The Chaplain is an elderly man from Portage and seemed surprised that I had my own Bible.  We had a good study and I look forward to the next one.

Saturday I was the only one in my pod to attend the church service but there were 5 other guys from neighboring pods.  The pastor is an ex-con himself and did a great job!  He had a CD player and played a couple of Chris Tomlin songs for worship.  He had the lyrics printed for us, but most whispered the words except for me.  The Pastor led us into a discussion of who Jesus is, and it became clear to me that many of these guys who are half my age were raised in a Christian family but chose no to follow God.  It was Ministry in Action!  Just hearing music out loud was so refreshing to my soul!  Singing praise to God was like a rain storm in the desert!  I wish it were live music and my family was singing and playing.

We also were given some recreation time on Saturday.  They have a full gymnasium on another floor.  There were four from my pod that elected to go.  We are the oldest in our pod.  The guards opened up another pod to join us.  There were 7 or 8 younger guys that wanted to go.  You could see the dread in the faces of our guys and the guard quickly came to his senses.  He let the "old men" go first so we could break in the nets.  We all were relieved by the guard's wisdom.  This saved us all from great embarrassment.  We played a rather passive game of H.O.R.S.E.  I was the second man out.  It was a nice opportunity to get out of the pod and stretch our legs.

Early Monday morning, just after breakfast, we were given an opportunity to visit the "Brooks Memorial Library" down the hall.  (That is the name I gave the library as it made me think of the library from the movie 'Shawshank Redemption")  We were given 15 minutes to pick out 3 books each.  I found the "religious' section and found a few that looked interesting.

• Joyce Meyer's  - Battlefield of the Mind"
• "Faith Despite the KGB - Stories of Christians in Prison"
• "Tested by Fire"  - Story of a burn victim

My goal was to give you a snapshot of life in a county jail.  As you have read, there is not much for excitement here.  The routines repeat every day.  Boredom is the enemy here.  Everyone has to find their weapon in this battle.  For me, I have an arsenal to choose from:  Reading books, reading the Bible, Bible verse memorization, prayer, writing letters, talking to my pod-mates, etc.

Writing letters has been good for me.  They only allow us to have pencils, so I make several trips a day to the pencil sharpener.  My pencil is down to a 2" stub until I get my new one tomorrow.

I will end this with a final thought.  As bleak as I may make this sound, you need to know that it is not that bad here.  Don't take this the wrong way:  I really don't want to be here and I really miss my family!  But you need to know that God has really been blessing me here.  He has surrounded me with some very nice people.  I have plenty of food no matter how it tastes.  Did the Israelites enjoy the manna???  I have more than enough!

There are Christians in prisons just for believing in Christ!  Their conditions are far worse than mine.

There are homeless people in our area that have less than I do here in jail.

I have nothing to complain about.  My God has supplied all my needs and more.  I praise God for everything He has provided me!

I want to thank you for your prayers and letters.  These bring me great encouragement!  My pod mates are very jealous of me at 'mail call'.  This makes me sad for them.

May God grant you a spirit of peace in your hearts that can only come from God!!   - McFreedom

1 Corinthians 13:7