After my crime was committed, I was taken to the local jail. Upon entering the jail I was placed in a holding cell. The cell was approximately six by eight. It had a cement outcropping for sitting and sleeping. The cell also contained a metal toilet, with a sink. The water was controlled by a pushbutton that would turn off after so many seconds. The toilet was cold to sit on!

There was a window in my cell. It was about three feet tall and about three inches wide. I guess it’s called a slit window. The window overlooked the outside area of the jail. The jail is a big square that contains an outside area in the middle of the square. This area was used for recreation. The floor is concrete and the wall is made of block. It was about three stories high, so there was no way to climb out.

Once I was settled into my new cell at the receiving center, I saw something strange. I was lying on the top bunk and noticed a blue spot on the ceiling. Upon further investigation, I realized that our cell was actually painted blue. I thought it was painted brown!

The next day I laid hold of a bucket and sponge. I scrubbed and scrubbed. All the dirt, grime, and cigarette smoke came grudgingly off the wall. The water on the floor was nasty. It was horrible. Several hours later, I was but halfway done. I stopped for the day and took a shower.

Over the course of the next several days, my work continued. Finally done, I was glad to see the results of my labor. While still not spotless, the place was a lot cleaner, and smelled better to! The worst part of the whole thing was that the rest of this institution was in the same condition as my cell. It was a filthy place!!

One hardship in a prisoner’s life is the three day weekend. While I do support our soldiers and the contributions they made to our country, the holiday that was created made life a little more difficult. Let me explain. A prisoner’s biggest problem is boredom. Many inmates prefer to stay busy so as to pass the time. The three day weekends meant that no one could go outside of the gates to work, with no work to do, boredom set in.

I do want to make clear that many inmates still love their country despite the fact of being locked up. I remember the day when the twin towers fell and many inmates tried to volunteer to fight if needed. I don’t know why the authorities won’t allow this, it seems a good idea. Allowing inmates to serve in the armed forces would strengthen our country, not weaken it. I hope that someday the people in charge will realize this!

With so many people around and not much to do, the penitentiary is a breeding ground for April fools jokes. One of the best we ever did was on a friend of mine with the nickname “Stub”. Stub was a great guy and we had many good times together.

Anyway, knowing his schedule as we did, we used that to our advantage. After he had left, we had one of the C.O.’s open his room. We emptied the room completely! We took out his bed and his locker. We took his rolling locker and trash can. Everything was gone.

In due time, Stub came back to find what we had done. We had a great time and all enjoyed the surprise and gave him a great ribbing! Sometimes jail is a fun place to be!

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.