Defining "Freedom" - Part 2

...The soldiers marched us into the building.  The entry way looked nice, much like an office building.  It was too nice for prisoners, so I concluded this must be used for the staff and visitors.  I studied the room, knowing this is the same place those who visit will pass through.  There was a new set of soldiers that received us.  They seemed to be kinder and gentler than those I had previously met.  They didn't appear to have an agenda of "showing their superiority".  These new guards took off our hand cuffs and shackles.  The transport soldiers completed their job and left.  Our new guards didn't say much other than to offer a few commands of instruction.  They patted us down for contraband and walked us past the metal detector used for the visitors and then outside the doors into the compound.

The sidewalk was clean of any snow, giving it a clear definition against the snow covered yard.  The walkway led us to an intersection.  To the left was a long building with men in green winter coats walking around it.  It seemed so strange to see prisoners walking about freely.  Ahead of us was a large field with a baseball back stop.  Next to this was a set of soccer goal posts (minus the nets).  There were two full size basketball courts that were partially shoveled.  Men were out walking in the snow along the fence.  There were no guards present, that I could see.  There were no guard towers like the ones I saw at Terre Haute.  These men "appeared" to be free.

My senses were in overload, trying to take in everything around me.  The cold air in my lungs, the bright sun and white snow in my eyes, the "concept" of freedom while in confinement.  My mind could not keep up with everything I was experiencing.  I was in a state of unbelief.  Thirty minutes ago, I was a High Security Risk, requiring handcuffs, shackles and a guard to escort me.  Now, I am unchained and walking in the yard with only two guards escorting seven of us.  Something must have happened to us when we entered this complex that suddenly made us less of a security threat.

We were instructed to turn right at the sidewalk intersection.  Ahead of us was a two-story building in the shape of a wide "V".  There was a row of windows on both stories and in the middle there was an over-sized "H" on the top and an equally large sized "G" on the lower level.  We entered the front door and congregated in the entryway waiting for instructions from the guards.  One guard called out a couple of names and took them up a flight of stairs to the "H" unit.  The other guard took us through the next door and searched his list of names and our bunk assignments.  While we waited, I could see that we were the objects of everyone's attention.  We were being studied by all the inmates in our vicinity; after all, we were inside their barracks.  I could see rows of cubicles that went on as far as I could see.  The cube dividers were made out of cement blocks.  The cement walls were only 5' 4" so you could see the top bunk of every cube.  Many of these bunks were filled with men sleeping or reading.  The guard struggled to understand our assignments so he took one of us at a time and led each to his new bunk assignment.  I waited near the door looking like a lost puppy, while the guard sorted us out.

Finally he came back to me and guided me through the long hallway to another set of barracks.  This one looked the same as the first one I had seen.  He walked me all the way towards the end and stopped at the third from the end.  No sooner had I stepped into the cube, than the guard was gone.  I was now on my own.

I had a cell-y, but he was not there.  The bottom bunk was made up so I knew the top bunk was to be mine.  I proceeded to open the laundry bag which contained two sheets, two blankets, two rolls of toilet paper, shampoo, razor, and two towels.  I tried to open the bag, but it was held shut with a heavy duty zip tie.  I had nothing to cut it with, so I carried it down the hall to see if I could find someone who could help me out.  I must have still had that "lost puppy" look, because an inmate stopped me and asked if I needed help.  I explained my dilemma and he went to his cube and returned with a nail clipper.  He clipped the zip tie off the bag and I thanked him before returning to my new home.

I made my bed and put the rest of my belongings in my 36" x 48" locker.  As I organized the few items I had, an inmate came up to me and introduced himself to me.  He handed me a pair of new shower shoes, a bar of soap (no rope!!) :-), soap dish, a "real" toothbrush and a toothbrush holder.  I had read, before I came to prison, that I should beware of inmates who "offer" me gifts, as there may be "strings" attached to the gifts.  I felt awkward with his presentation of the gifts, until he told me that these were compliments of the chapel.  He reassured me that there were no expectations for me to pay for them.  They were truly "gifts"!

God began to answer my prayers in an amazing way!  My first introduction was a Christian with gifts from the chapel!  I was beginning to feel better already.  I talked to him for a while and told him that I was a Christian and that I wanted to know more about the chapel.  He told me about the schedule, but I didn't remember any of it with the overload of information.

Not long after he left me, other men came up to me to welcome me and offer some tips to get acclimated to this new world.  My new cell-y eventually came to the cell and introduced himself as "Book-em".  This is what everyone calls him.  He showed me around our 8' x 10' cube and told me about the rules here.  He is a nice guy who has one year left of a ten year sentence for dealing drugs.  He showed me the scars left from the five bullets his rival put in him.  He was told that he should have died from the wounds.  I suggested that God must have other plans for him.  He agreed!

Our cube is very simple for an 8 x 10 area.  There is a standard bunk bed with a ladder.  The mattress is much better than the ones in the SHU.  There is sufficient cushion in them to keep me comfortable.  One end of the mattress has a bump which is the "pillow".  I use a clean sweatshirt for my pillow.  From the top I can look around and see every other top bunk in our barracks.  There are six hooks on the walls to hang our clothes from.  We have a mini-steel desk bolted to the wall.  On either side of the desk are our storage lockers.  We have a 3 x 3 window on the North wall.  I can see the road that leads up the hill to the main part of the prison.  To the left of the road is the edge of the wooded ravine that wraps around the facility.  The road empty's into a parking lot for staff and visitors.  On visiting days, I can watch the visitors drive in and congregate at the gate as they wait for the guards inside to open the gate for them.  Our window is very popular with the other inmates who don't have a window.

In the snow outside my window are a series of rabbit tracks that lead to a hole in the snow.  He lives in a culvert and can be seen on occasion.

There are 64 cubes in our unit.  Most have two men, but there are 22 of them with a third man.  There are no doors on our cubes, so privacy is lacking.  I was ready to learn more about my surroundings, but I was unsure about my freedom.  For the last 48 days, I was not allowed outside my cell without handcuffs and an escort.  And now, here I was with no guard in sight, men moving around freely, but I was afraid to leave my cube!!

It wasn't until another man came by to introduce himself that I ventured out of the cube.  He took me on a tour of the unit.  My cube is on the far end away from the activities that take place on the other end.  I am grateful to be so far away from the noise!  We walked to the other end of my "street" and entered a large room with tables and chairs.  There are five televisions mounted throughout the room, but there is no sound coming from any of them.  Anyone watching the TV's used an FM radio tuned to the TV channel of choice.  Just outside of this room is a set of four telephones for us to use.  Just past the phones are two more rooms with a TV in each of them.  Instead of tables and chairs, they have small bleachers that were assembled in the rooms.  These two rooms are "owned" by an ethnic group who is quick to tell you that you are not welcome in there.  I went in these rooms to clean, as my job assignment, but I was told by one of the members to get out!  They are now responsible to clean their own room.

We turned down another hallway past some bulletin boards with out-dated schedules and semi-helpful information.  Next to this wealth of information is a recessed counter-top with four computer terminals. We use these to manage our finances (prison fund), mailing contact list/labels, our "P"tunes (prison tunes for MP3 Players purchased in the commissary).  They do offer e-mail to some inmates, but for those whose crimes involved a computer, the computer access is restricted.  We turned past the computers down a short hallway and entered a room that has a very large ice-maker.  This is free to the inmates, which is a nice luxury!  Next to the ice machine is a faucet that dispenses hot water.  They call it the "190" because the temperature is at 190 degrees!  I can now have HOT coffee, instead of lukewarm coffee.  The room at the end of this hall is the laundry room.  There are three top-load commercial washers and dryers.  These are free to use, but there is usually a waiting line.

Heading out of this hallway back toward the computer desks, there are two more TV rooms with a TV and bleachers.  One of them plays the Spanish channel and the other one has welcomed me when I clean it.  Further down this hallway is the Bathroom/Shower room.  It is divided up into a sink room with 11 sinks.  Another room with urinals and stalls that have doors on them!  It is nice to finally have some privacy instead of having a cell-y three feet from you when doing your "business".  Ironically, there is usually an inmate on either side of me just inches away.  Just having the wall between us is enough to give a sense of privacy.  The toilets are not like the "shred-master 9000" in the SHU.  These are good old fashioned porcelain toilets that you would find in a commercial building.  The only difference is that we have to pull the handle to flush!!!  :-)

The shower room is very nice.  There are twelve private stalls.  Each stall has room to move around so you can comfortably change your clothes.  There is no temperature adjustment but the temperature is pretty comfortable and consistent.  The shower room also serves as a work-out room for the body builders here.  They usually post a "look-out" at the door when the work-outs are in session.  This room is also the occasional smoking room for inmates.  (Yes, you can get almost anything here if you have money and you are willing to take the risk of moving to a higher security prison.)  Before I arrived in the unit, one of the inmates was caught with a cell phone in his cube.  He is no longer here.

We took a left out of the bathroom and walked back toward my cube ending the tour of the barracks.  Keep in mind there are three other identical barracks in this building, housing a total of 600 men.  My new world seems so big, it is over-whelming to me.  The "freedom" is so refreshing, but it is also very intimidating.

Stay tuned for the rest of this entry.....

McFreedom