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.)
Friday, June 1, 2007
Mackerel
Smoking was banned in all federal prisons in 2004 (except for staff, who can smoke in designated outdoor areas. If movies are to be believed, cigarettes functioned as a form of currency.
Money is disallowed in prison. Indeed it is a violation of BOP rules to give, borrow or sell any item or service to another inmate. This must surely be the most widely violated rule in prison. While I understand the purpose of the rule, it is impossible to function practically without some prison economy, which necessarily involves an exchange of items or services. Where an economy exists, something inevitably will function as a form of currency.
Believe it or not, the new currency is mackerel, that is, fish bait. A can of mackerel can be purchased for $1.20 in the commissary.
I don't know the going rate for very many services but I know the standard rate for a haircut is 2 cans. In addition, some rooms agree to contribute 2 cans per inmate per month to pay someone to clean their room every day (instead of each roommate taking a turn.)
Some inmates literally have no one on the outside to fund their commissary account. And you only make about $17/month working. Therefore, they basically will offer their services in exchange for mackerel, which they can then offer to another inmate to purchase items from the commissary for them.
Most of these kinds of exchanges are harmless at worst and helpful at best. Thus, as long as they are handled discreetly, the COs don't go on witch hunts looking for violations.
While I have not witnessed it, I am told there are more sinister exchanges. The worst being when one inmate extorts goods or services from another with physical threats. I think this is more an issue in higher security prisons than the camps where physical violence is rare.
Money is disallowed in prison. Indeed it is a violation of BOP rules to give, borrow or sell any item or service to another inmate. This must surely be the most widely violated rule in prison. While I understand the purpose of the rule, it is impossible to function practically without some prison economy, which necessarily involves an exchange of items or services. Where an economy exists, something inevitably will function as a form of currency.
Believe it or not, the new currency is mackerel, that is, fish bait. A can of mackerel can be purchased for $1.20 in the commissary.
I don't know the going rate for very many services but I know the standard rate for a haircut is 2 cans. In addition, some rooms agree to contribute 2 cans per inmate per month to pay someone to clean their room every day (instead of each roommate taking a turn.)
Some inmates literally have no one on the outside to fund their commissary account. And you only make about $17/month working. Therefore, they basically will offer their services in exchange for mackerel, which they can then offer to another inmate to purchase items from the commissary for them.
Most of these kinds of exchanges are harmless at worst and helpful at best. Thus, as long as they are handled discreetly, the COs don't go on witch hunts looking for violations.
While I have not witnessed it, I am told there are more sinister exchanges. The worst being when one inmate extorts goods or services from another with physical threats. I think this is more an issue in higher security prisons than the camps where physical violence is rare.
2 Year Rule
There is no dispute that prison puts a strain on marriages. I have wondered how long a man should reasonably expect his wife to wait. Actually I don't just wonder, I ask other inmates what they think. Most guys laugh. They say she always says she'll wait forever ("I love you baby!") but she's gone in six months.
Of course, each case is different. There's one guy here on a ridiculous 4 year sentence for an absolutely absurd charge. He is 55, been married 30+ years and is a devout Mormon with 7 children. His family moved from Orlando to Pensacola so they could visit every week. I have no doubt they will make it.
Then for some guys' families, this is like the final straw. She's gone the day he walks through the prison door.
However, for those guys that are married and here on a first offense that they are truly guilty of, there is something of a consensus that the 2 year mark is a watershed. The wife starts wondering if it is worth it after 2 years. Or the relationship simply runs out of gas.
I would certainly expect my wife to wait 2 years. I would not expect her to wait 10. Between 2 and 10, I don't know. Probably somewhere around 5 would be the cut-off.
I would tell her to divorce me, take the money (leave me a little to start over with) and get on with your life. If she's still available when I get out, we can deal with that then.
What do you think?
Of course, each case is different. There's one guy here on a ridiculous 4 year sentence for an absolutely absurd charge. He is 55, been married 30+ years and is a devout Mormon with 7 children. His family moved from Orlando to Pensacola so they could visit every week. I have no doubt they will make it.
Then for some guys' families, this is like the final straw. She's gone the day he walks through the prison door.
However, for those guys that are married and here on a first offense that they are truly guilty of, there is something of a consensus that the 2 year mark is a watershed. The wife starts wondering if it is worth it after 2 years. Or the relationship simply runs out of gas.
I would certainly expect my wife to wait 2 years. I would not expect her to wait 10. Between 2 and 10, I don't know. Probably somewhere around 5 would be the cut-off.
I would tell her to divorce me, take the money (leave me a little to start over with) and get on with your life. If she's still available when I get out, we can deal with that then.
What do you think?
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