ROUTINE

                                                     

                                                      ROUTINE



The best and worst part about being at a facility like this is the routine. It’s good because you always know where and when you are supposed to be somewhere. It cuts down on the brain power needed so you can spend large tracts of time on autopilot which makes the days go faster. There is also a certain sense of security and safety that comes with routine. Most time, prison, change is not a good thing. If our “overseers” mess with our schedule, even slightly (like being 5 minutes late or earlier) it generates anxiety, rumor, and gossip for days. Rearrange and obsessive compulsive’s kitchen counter and you’ll see what I mean.



         On the flipside, everyday is exactly the same. So if you’re wondering what prison life is like, here’s a peek into pretty much every day.

         

                At 6 a.m. the lights come on and the chow hall opens. Breakfast is one of four things: oatmeal, cream of wheat, cornmeal mush or bran cereal. With it is a piece of cake and a piece of fruit, along with two little cartons of milk. Everything except the cake is unsweetened and no condiments are provided. Portions are tiny and there are no second helpings. Most people, me included, skip the offered breakfast and eat out of our lockers. Thankfully our Commissary offers a decent amount of alternatives.



         Depending on where you work the time to report to works falls between 6:30 and 7:30. The morning shift lasts until about 10:30 when lunch begins. The majority of jobs require you to sign in and sit at a table or on bleachers for 3 hours. That’s it. For this type of “worker” the salary is $5.25 a month.



         Only about 20% of the 1800 inmates actually work. These positions tend to be hard to get and are usually reserved for well behaved inmates. I’ve been lucky and ended up in the library, a fairly coveted job, after only a 2 year wait; before I was a table wiper in the dining hall and a GED tutor. My average salary is about $25 a month, though as a tutor it was substantially higher.



         From 10:30 to 12 noon, lunch is served in the chow hall. This is our big meal for the day and usually is the best meal. We have a 5 week menu that is on an endless cycle, so we get a variety of foods. Anything from pizza, chicken quarters, and chili fries to tuna salad sandwiches, chicken parmesan and hot dogs appear. It is usually accompanied by canned veggies and a piece of cake.



         At 12:30 the afternoon work day starts and goes until 3:30. Most guys work only morning or afternoon with the rest of the day open for exercise, sleeping, or GED classes. You get to move around every hour for a 10 minute passing period, like high school, and we are free to choose whatever we like.



         At 4 pm we all gather in our assigned cubes to be counted. This is the BOP’s way of making sure no one has escaped. After that is cleared we are free until 9:30 when we get counted again and the lights go out. Even then you can watch TV until midnight if you desire.



         Dinner is served from 5-6 pm and is usually the worst meal. Usually it’s a lunch meat slice of roast beef or roast pork that is often mostly fat and a ½ cup of beans. There is a veggie and some bread or rice. That’s it.



         The weekends are the longest days. On Sat. the only people who work are those in food service; however it is also the day everything is closed except the rec center and that doesn’t open until 12 and really only offers exercise (strictly  cardio) equipment and a nice place to sit outside. They show movies that were recently released on DVD on Fri. & Sat. nights, so TV is a big past time. Sunday is a little better since there is church and the library is open.



         Inmate taught classes are available to take on Sunday but most are badly planned and badly taught. I’ve taken a few and regretted every one. For those of us who are well educated there is nothing for us to learn or do.  The BOP frowns on foreign language classes, viewing them as a security risk, and the attendance for a college level class is so small they refuse to allocate resources or space.



         So that’s what I wake up to every single day. There is no attempt by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to rehabilitate those who need it. A few programs for addiction and rage are offered but often they consist of a workbook and an apathetic group leader with no qualifications to teach the material. For me, who has no issue functioning in society, there is nothing to do that isn’t 100% self directed. I am doing nothing for society while being here besides wasting taxpayer money and my time. The only thing the educated get out of prison is a distrust of authority and a bleak view of the U.S. Justice Department