One of the most interesting things about the receiving center was the grapevine. I met many people there who had been in other institutions and who knew a great deal of people. It’s funny how they knew so many when I knew relatively few. I did know one guy from jail who went before me and sent a letter back. Other than that, I didn’t know anyone.

There were many however who knew who was in what institution and long of a sentence they had. I think that many of the Brothers had relatives who were locked up and able to communicate with them. Many people had been locked up before and knew the system and many of its inmates. I was always amazed at this and hope I will never be in a position to use the knowledge of the many people I met!

I was very fortunate to know my dad for as long as I did. He died when I was at an early age but I remember him well. He was a good man and always loved us kids. I know that where ever he is, it’s a good place. My dad was many things. He was a musician and an architect. He was also a great husband to my mom. He had seven children and loved us all. We all miss him much! Love You Dad!

One thing I didn’t like about receiving was that we only got out of our cells on every other night. Due to the fact that there were so many people there, it was a security risk to let us all out at once.

There were two sides in our wing with each side three tiers tall, this added up to a lot of inmates. One night the gates would open on the right side, the next night would be the left sides turn. It always was good when it was our night. We then had access to watch TV and walk about in the common area.

We could visit with the other side and communicate with them through the bars, but they were locked inside and couldn’t come out to play! It was just another annoyance we had to put up with on a day to day basis.

Many shows on TV have some prison scenes in them. I have watched a number of them and have not seen any that are remotely true. Prisoners’ banging on bars with their metal cups comes to mind. While from time to time there may be some excitement, for the large part, it’s very boring. Prisons are extremely controlled. You will not see prisoners unsupervised at any time.

The worst part about these shows is that many people actually believe what they see. They think that there is a large population of angry killers who are just waiting to get out and create havoc. While once in a while this may be true, for the large part it is not! I wish the television shows would do a better job of showing the truth.

The door contained a small glass window that you could look out of. There was not much to see, just the hallway and the window of the cell across the hall. Occasionally, you may see a passer by, but not too often. I was dressed in a paper suit. Yes! An outfit made of paper to protect me from hurting myself. I can assure you that I had no intention of self inflicted wounds; it was just common practice for new admittees.

At night, a guard would bring a bedroll. Covered with green plastic which had a peculiar smell, the roll was about three inches thick and none too comfortable. I was given a blanket which was much too short, and was cold all through the night. I spent four days in the cell and have more to tell about it, but I can say that after four days, I knew that jail was not going to be fun!