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The odor makes my eyes water. The walls are covered with dried clumps of hair and soap scum. The ¼" of scum lies silently at the bottom of the broken sink. To label it filthy and unsanitary is an understatement. Ad Seg (the Hole) doesn't have inmate workers. There are no inmates assigned to keep the common areas of this ancient building clean. In a regular facility inmates are assigned to clean the hallways, tiers, benches and showers. If left neglected, the showers...
It happened twice, two days in a row. Both times I was forgotten. Time moved, but I didn't. I was left alone, cuffed, in a stand-up-only cage. I love business. I truly enjoy the art of growing a business and pivoting to keep up with demands and market trends. Business comes easily to me. I am intrigued by the working parts, especially sales and P.R. (Public Relations). All businesses are, at core, based on sales, and to sell itself a business needs P.R. The image of the...
"Two For the Price of One" is always an attention-grabbing offer. It's hard to ignore getting seconds free, just because you wanted firsts. "Two-for-One" works well for retail, but not for reflections in a mirror. Here in prison, I get an opportunity to look in a mirror only when I receive a shower. The shower has four slim windows so the officers can look in, for security reasons, and on the outside of one of those windows is a 6"x6" acrylic mirror. The convenient mirror is t...
One morning, I was taken to the phlebotomist. My doctor had ordered blood tests, and three full tubes of blood were being demanded of me. My arms' veins cooperated nicely, the process didn't take long, and I put on a brave front. Thirty minutes later I was back in my cell, reading my Bible. As I read, my focus was off. My mind was not retaining anything. I found myself reading and rereading the same lines. I closed my eyes, thinking of the three tubes of blood and wondering if...
"Stand on the red-painted feet," the officer ordered. "Don't smile. This is not Sears Portrait Studio." With my feet now on the red feet, I stood in front of a massive glass wall looking at a funny camera peeking through its side. It was still early. An already-stressed-out officer came to my cell door. "Torres, get your jumpsuit on. We are going to take you to get your picture taken." I quickly put on my shirt, socks, jumpsuit, and shoes. With a quick splash of water, I ran...
The pressure was strong. His sales pitch was impressive and tempting, yet I kept declining. "Come on!" he was upping the ante, "I'll make it three and you choose the day." I hesitated because the offer was great, but in the end I declined it, too. Using the shower only happens three times a week in Ad Seg (the Hole). Although the showers are filthy, a full head-to-toes cleansing makes a big difference, both physically and emotionally. Plus, the shower is the only place we are...
My emotions were in a tangle. I wasn't mad or agitated; but I was sad and happy at the same time. Waiting in Ad Seg (the Hole) to be transferred is nerve-wracking. An inmate in the Hole can wait up to five months-or more, in some special cases-to be put on a bus. Every day, we listen for our names to be announced from the weekly transfer list. Ears perk up and the air goes still as we all try to hear the officer making the announcement. We hear whoops of happiness and cheers...
A knot formed in my stomach. I had nowhere to go, so I just turned around and faced the back of the cage. I knew he could see me, but I was too embarrassed to face him. Ad Seg (the Hole) is where the worst of the worst are sent. About 98% of the men that are in the Hole are here because they did something very bad. The Hole is the jail inside the prison. It's a true shame to be a resident of the Hole. It's a surprise to those who see me there, who know my character. Since the...
