Whenever you are locked up, it is an assurance that you will have a cellmate. Due to an unknown selection process, there is no telling who you will get. Having a good cellmate is one of the cornerstones of your mental health. Here are a few of the traits desired and not desired.

A good “celli” will
Have his own commissary.
Be clean and neat.
Watch your things while you’re away.
Be quiet and respectful.
Be interesting and “normal”

A bad “celli” will
Be a liar, cheat, or thief.
Be broke and always bumming from you.
Be noisy and disrespectful.
Be dirty and messy.
Be crazy, mentally incompetent, or a “stinker”

These are just a few of the traits desired. I have many stories, good and bad about my cellies. As you may imagine, while in prison the little things become greater in their importance. A good cellmate can make all the difference.

Today is known as the first day of spring. To many inmates it’s just another day. For some lucky few, it’s a milestone in the time they have to serve. Inmates commonly use important dates to check the progress of how much time they have left. Time is always a hot topic and prisoners will talk about it all the time. Some people like me, tried to forget time and many times I was successful.

There were times when I didn’t even know what month it was. This tactic worked very well for me for a long time. Just doing time was all I wanted and counting my days was always depressing! Anyway, spring is always good to see as it meant the long cold winter was finally at its end!

The daily life of the inmate is built around count time. Everything depends on it and is somehow related to it. Meetings with friends are arranged to be “after count”, or “lets do this or that” when count clears. If I added up all the minutes I did waiting for count to “Clear”, it probably would add up to a couple of year’s time.

It’s a great feeling to hear a C.O. holler “Clear”. The doors are unlocked and gates are opened. The inmate is now free to roam wherever he may go. Contact with people from other buildings is now possible. Things always look better when count is cleared!