Prisoners are persons whom most of us would rather not think about. Banished from everyday sight, they exist in a shadow world that only dimly enters our awareness. They are members of a "total institution" that controls their daily existence in a way that few of us can imagine. "[P]rison is a complex of physical arrangements and of measures, all wholly governmental, all wholly performed by agents of government, which determine the total existence of certain human beings (except perhaps in the realm of the spirit, and inevitably there as well) from sundown to sundown, sleeping, walking, speaking, silent, working, playing, viewing, eating, voiding, reading, alone, with others. . . ." It is thus easy to think of prisoners as members of a separate netherworld, driven by its own demands, ordered by its own customs, ruled by those whose claim to power rests on raw necessity. -- Justice William Brennan, dissenting in O’Lone v. Estate of Shabazz, 482 U.S. 342, 354-55 (1987).

Friday, June 1, 2007

Week 6 Summary

Almost halfway home.

Last weekend, my wife, parents, sister and brother-in-law visited.

After several days of weedeating last week, I have already progressed to the manual push lawn mower! :)

The weather is getting quite warm. Clear and sunny. Thank God for the wind.

My wife celebrated her 50th birthday on Wednesday. I typed her birthday letter here and arranged before I left for prison for 5 dozen roses to be delivered on her birthday. They both got there on time.

The AC has not been working in the dorm. Something to do with the chiller. I don't know anything about AC but apparently they pump 42 degree water through pipes and blow air across the pipes through the vents. When I got here I froze (I wore 4 layers of clothes). Now I sleep in shorts on top of the covers. I am also getting bug bites from the no-see-em's (invisible bugs). Sigh.

I have really settled in now and am used to the routine. I have been determined to be myself, for better or worse, and not allow myself to be sucked into the prison culture. Some people like me, some don't and others couldn't care less. Oh well. I can see however that if I had 3 years rather than 3 months, this could get old.

Monday, May 14 will be day 46 ... the halfway point. My official release date is June 28, one day earlier than I thought it would be. My case manager is completing my release paper work. I gave blood today for DNA required of all federal felons. Nice. Now I'm in the federal database. Do they think I might leave DNA evidence on a computer? (Note to BOP, FBI, DOJ, George Bush, Alberto Gonzalez: Lighten up, it's just a joke.)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

AMAZING THAT THE PARIS HILTON
"PRISON DIARYS" WILL SELL FOR
MORE THAN I MAKE IN A DECADE !
AMERICA'S FASCINATION WITH CELEBRITY
HAS GENERATED MORE INTEREST IN THE
PRISON SYSTEM THAN ANY CONGRESSIONAL
INQUIRY SINCE ATTICA !
HANG IN THERE & ^5 BUDDY.
REGARDS, JADES

Anonymous said...

Incarceration seems the only thing from the past that is a constant,it is always used ,why? Doesn't solve a thing ,people may or may not chose to do something legal or illegal when they get out. No stopping them,except themselves. Just don't get caught, that's my modus operandi. Do not get caught!

Unknown said...

Good perspective about federal laws, reaally like a magical realism, A beautiful Princes stories