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7-26-98
7-27-98 Monday. I'm back in tower seven today, but more tired. Yesterday, because of all the rain, I had to detour around a flooded river. There was a dense fog and it took me two hours to get home. Only saw five ground hogs today. Two of them must be off. Recreation on the yard finished a little while ago. Checked what I could see with the binoculars. No fights. Heard gun fire to the north. Checked with tower eight by radio. He said it was coming from the airport across the river. They shoot to keep the run way clear of animals. Just doing my job, Duh! Turned on my lights, already. The sun is about down. Fried chicken today! Ground hogs got the bread. Not supposed to feed them, but what the hell, the evidence is gone. There are 102 windows, each with four vertical and horizontal bars on the east side of the abandoned housing unit. There are fifteen windows on the south side, but I can't see the bars. Ibuprofen time- I have a headache. 7-28-98 Tower #3. It's a little different from #7 It's smaller and climbing into it is much easier. Seven is like climbing the Statue of Liberty. They had rec; today ,at least, housing unit #2 did. When they finish rec and go in, I have to be on the cat walk to direct them, if necessary. A black girl, who lives across the street came over and said,"Hi" Thought I was the regular tower guy. A car honked. A kid in the back seat grinned and waved. I smiled and waved back. Only saw two ground hogs today. They didn't get the bread. Used it to sop up the gravy. Never had tough meat loaf before. Three and a half hours to go- Yawn! 7-29-98 I'm on tower #1 today. I initiate the sequence of the towers clearing every fifteen minutes. No ground hogs today. Probably none here because this tower is by a busy street and near the front entrance. Recreation has been over for a half an hour. No problems. Will turn the lights on soon. Was startled last night by the insects. The tower lights are very bright which attracts them by the gazillions! From the angle I observed them, they appeared to be berserk comets, making tight, concentric circles zigzagging, loop- the- loops, and doing any other kind of movement you could imagine. If they were airplanes, it would be an air controller's nightmare This is my fourth day strait in towers. It is very hard to remain alert, with nothing to do but look and reporting on the radio, which I gotta do now! The sun is setting behind me, so I must be facing east, unless things changed since I came up here..The south side of housing unit two has three tiers of windows, thirty-one in each row, between floors two and five. The first floor probably has the same number, but all save two are obscured by a building that is used for, I know not what .In the setting sun, my tower casts a massive shadow across it's roof. Men yelling- buzzers buzzing- another night. I'm off tomorrow and the next day. I need a break from doing nothing! 8-1-98 I worked "radio" today. Since it was Saturday, and they didn't have rec, it was an easy day. Did pat searches outside when there was inmate movement. Did it wrong. A Lt. showed me the proper method. I was literally patting- you slide your hands down. I'm doing it correctly, now. Strange putting my hands on another man's body. I think of it as feeling the clothing and ever might be contained between it and the body. I can tell a pencil, a pen and an inhaler without looking. Went to the dining hall while they were feeding a couple of different housing units to insure no trouble. Secured HU-2. Got them all put away after din-din. Sometimes they don't want to go back to their cells, or houses, as they call them. HU-4 ate late. They ran out of hamburgers. Did cell searches in the PCU, (protective custody unit.) Only found minor contraband. Nothing important. Strange going through another person's personal belongings, too .I escorted an inmate to the prison hospital. (Chest pains.) They gave him Maalox In the captain's office, the Chiefs and Greenbay were on TV playing an exhibition game in Tokyo. Inmates all tucked in, so I sign out, turn in my radio and go home. 8-2-98 Sunday. Back in tower #3. 1 ground hog, 1 orange cat, 1 black cat seen inside .New binoculars in here. Tasco, 10x50mm. Called control center. Clothing and some stuff I couldn't identify was on the window ledges of 2 house. Don't want to talk about dinner- yuck! No problems at rec, today. That could change when the bad boys in Ad. Seg. (Administrative segregation) get out Pretty peaceful now, though. Came in a little early and relieved officer Rohling at 2:48. Tower people try to do that for each other when possible. Sun is going down and will soon be time to turn on the lights. I think this tower has the most spectacular bug show in JCCC. Plan to start working out three times a week, starting tomorrow. Most of these inmates could break me in half. I do know that if something happened, I would have lots of help. How soon depends on where you are and how long it takes to get there. The guy I share rides with, Jim Wolf, is in tower #7 tonight. Been there- done that. Two officers just entered the yard from Hu-2. Must be time for yard check. We wave flashlights at each other so they will know we are awake and so the towers know who they are and not shoot them. What fun! 8-3-98 HU-4 today. Worked with COI Cain today. Interesting place. This is an honor house. There are a lot of lifers who live here. They say they are convicts, not inmates. The difference might be subtle to us, but not to them. I did the four o'clock count-174, a good count. During mainline (Dinner,) I kept my eye on the door going into the dining hall and on the inmates' feet. If they limp, they may be caring a shank. HU-4 is the oldest building still in operation at JCCC. It used to be heated by a big coal furnace in the center of the main floor. This institution has been here since before the Civil War. In here, there are four tiers-eight walks The walls are white, but, because of the lighting, appear a light green. The rails along the walks are painted red, the cell doors, black. Got a history lesson from a murderer named Bobb, a lifer. I asked how long his sentence was? He said," They mentioned something about when hell freezes over and ice skates." Cain leaves. They are all locked down, now. I am alone, well, alone with 285 convicts, and soon I will be relieved. We had a tour group come through earlier and officer Cain gave them a little talk, and, they got to go in a cell! They were from Vandalia. I was busy at the time looking for an ice truck worker. They distribute garbage cans full of ice to all the units nightly. On the way home, Jim Wolf told me that an inmate from 5-C tried to slash his wrists and cut his throat with a busted light bulb tonight. Got a "Dear John" letter from his old lady tonight. Wolf ran the video camera while they strapped the guy down. Wolf's weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday, mine is Thursday and Friday. I'll see him Saturday- his turn to drive. 8-5-98 I need to catch up on yesterday. I'm in tower #1
tonight, so I should have plenty of time. Just cleared for the 3:15
tower check . Reported to the assembly room yesterday. The captain
told me, "Tower #3." On the way out the front door, COI Lott asked
me where I was headed and I told him tower three. He said that was
where he was assigned. Went back in and told the captain that it
might be a little crowded Told me to get a radio. I want to round
gate and got one, then, back to the office. Got there and found that
my battery was dead. Walked back to round gate and got another.
Walked back to the office and no one was there. I went outside the
captain's shack. Guess what? Dead battery! Got another. The captain
told me to stand in the hall while industry workers returned to
their units. I followed a group back to two house and walked up the
stairs behind them. Glanced behind me at the top, and it looked like
a blue shirt army below. Day shift had been held over. There had
been a hostage situation in 5- A and B .A guy doing life without had
made a shank out of a toilet brush by filing the plastic handle to a
sharp point- ice pick style, and had grabbed a nurse. The inmate,
named Walk off, must have taken his name too seriously. The captain
sent me to the main dining hall to monitor dinner- "sure, just as
soon as I get another battery!" At the dining hall, I asked the Sgt.
If I could get something to eat there. He said, "You should have
eaten a long time ago." Sent me to the staff dining room. When I got
there, there was one inmate, a dishwasher. He said they had already
thrown away what was left of the ham, beans and cornbread, but there
were some pancakes and sausage left in the refrigerator from
breakfast. I ate in about five minutes, which seemed to shock the
young man who had helped me, a black kid who said he had only been
on the job two weeks. I could sympathize. Later, I had yard patrol
with officer Plough, but first, I had to get another battery. At
round gate, they gave me a different radio. Officer Plough got us a
couple of yellow raincoats .It was thundering. We went down the
hallway and exited to the yard across from tower #1 where I am
tonight. The rain was doing it's thing in earnest. Plough radioed
control that we were beginning first yard. Control said to phone
them. We couldn't get back in the side door. Too many coats of paint
and warping from the rain welded it shut. We asked tower one to call
control and ask them what they wanted. He called. "What did they
say?" "They said they wanted you to call!" We walked around to the
door to 2 house, got someone to let us in, and called. They wanted
us to check inside a bunch of buildings. We went back to round gate
and got more keys. We started over. Had to kick the side door to get
out. It wasn't locked, oops! Went back out in the rain and started
over. Checked the gym, shutting off lights and faucets. Back in the
rain, Plough told me the prison covered 47 acres and was known as
the bloodiest 47 acres on earth. I believe him.. As we entered the
lower yard, there was a double rainbow. Beautiful! By this time, we
were completely soaked anywhere the raincoats did not cover. We
checked all the doors and locks and gates and when we got to 5-C, to
dry off a little and say,"Howdy." That Co told us that he heard on
the radio that a man wearing white pants had threatened the officers
in tower three, tower one and at the front door with murder if they
did not let him INSIDE! That was a new one on everyone, where the
unusual is the usual. The log from last night said, "JCPD patrol
cars arrive behind tower one. Took into custody 1 black male, no
shirt, shorts, no shoes." Sounds like he changed clothes and decided
to go through the proper channels to get in. We went back out and
checked the prison hospital recreation area and the rest of the
doors, gates and locks. Stopped in HU-4 around count time and helped
them lock down. I did the flag- That's the main floor the office is
located. Pulled cell doors shut, locking them. I had some coffee and
then went back to the captain's shack. The "radio" crew had been
doing cell searches at 5 A&B, but apparently didn't find anything
too interesting. Not much to do after 10 o'clock lock down. I dried
out some and rested my aching feet. Today, nothing much seems to be
going on. Ate. I am surprised that with the amount of beans served
here, that the whole place hasn't gone up in some noxious, gassy
explosion. Waiting for the van so I can lower my food tray. Wonder
if they have rec tonight. They didn't last night because of the
hostage thing. Well, two black cats and an orange one are recreating
in front of my tower. At 6:45, someone asked me to step out on my
cat walk over the radio. A white shirt and a Co were below on the
sidewalk. "Lower your key, please." I dropped the key on a string
out of the street side window and a Co came up to relieve me.
"What's up?" I asked. "Oh, they say I abused an inmate." he said.
"What happened?" "He was trying to get something on the walk and I
wanted to get to it first, so I closed his arm in the door." I
handed him the pistol, which he checked. I put my shoes back on
(hey, why be uncomfortable?) And climbed down. The white shirt
said," don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong." Went inside and
got a radio. The Sgt. Told me to make myself scarce for a while .
Rec ended, so I observed inmates as they returned to their units.
Got assigned to first yard again. Not raining tonight. Walked the 47
acres checking all doors, locks, fences, walls, nooks and crannies.
Mosquitos ate me up! Saw lots of toads. Got back to the captain's
shack about 9:45. Went to 2 A&B and watched some cell searches. They
didn't find much, just two pieces of sawed off broom handle about
18" long- not too scary. 10 o'clock, The longest last hour, because
there is little to do. I listened to some white shirts swapping
stories about the bloody old days. One said, "There are some
hellatious stories in here. Somebody should write a book." Maybe I
will, Maybe I will.
8-9-98 Saturday. I'm in the bubble at 3-C, an ad. Seg unit. The Sgt. Left at 5:00. Everyone locked down, so I can get out of the bubble. We have a celebrity of sorts on the B side, Wally Walk off, who took the nurse hostage. He is in the suicide cell, but not suicidal. Went down and took a look at him at 6:00. We have to check on him every fifteen minutes even though we can see him on the TV that monitors his cell. He is a young, white dude with beauque tattoos. I'm working with officers Nelson and Robert. Inside the bubble there is a board that is on a hinge and lets down from the wall. It is used as a table for eating and as a desk for writing, as now. Lots of graffiti on it: "Jack and Jill went up the hill to smoke a little leaf, Jack got high, unzipped his fly, and Jill said, "Where's the beef?"' (One of the cleaner ones.) So far I have made 41 entries in the chronological log and it's only 9:30. Wonder what the record is? All cuffs, keys and radios accounted for- trays are set up for the morning meal with salt, pepper, five sugars and a plastic spoon and fork. 8-10-98 I worked as a roving officer which is the same as radio, only you can be pulled off to replace other people more often. Got my radio from round gate and my call number from control center. Ate in the staff dining hall. Did first mainline in the main dining hall- no problems. The next mainline, I worked at the top of the ramp leading from the dining hall doing pat searches- nothing found. Called officer Lasser on the radio and asked his 10-20, (location). I have a lot of respect for Lasser. He is a good officer. He finds things. I can learn from him. He was in 3-A. Went there and he was in the office with a white shirt. He had found a tattoo gun in an upper bunk mattress in a cell. The inmate swore up and down that it wasn't his. He said he was getting out in 54 days. Lasser strip searched him. Nothing. He didn't write a violation on the guy, but he didn't believe him, either. Said he will do another cell search on the guy in three or four days. We searched more cells together. We were in the middle of one when a 10-49 in 5-a came over the radio.(Fight). We sailed down the stairs, out the door across the yard and down the hallway and got a "10-6 on the 10-49 in 5-A" (Situation under control) Went over anyway. One inmate was at the Sergeant's desk bleeding from a couple of head wounds. Went to the walk where the altercation took place. Found blood spatters on the floor. Talked to the inmates in the surrounding cells. No one knew anything or saw anything. We think the bleeder was cut with a razor blade. I asked one guy who did it? What with? Normal questions for the outside, but not in there. Told them I have a sense of humor, which is true. I wanted to see what kind of reaction "dumb" got Found out. Think I'll stick to "smart". Lasser and I went back to 3-B and did more cell searches. We found some rubber door insulation and rubber gloves in one cell. We had stuck the inmate in the shower. When we let him out, he said," What the fuck did you take out of my cell?" Lasser said, "Contraband," and showed him. As the inmate walked back to his cell, he called us "chicken shit". Lasser told him he wasn't afraid of him and to get back to his cell. He replied, "Well, I'm sure the fuck not afraid of you!" We both headed down the walk toward him and I guess he figured he was better off in his cell and went in. He said," Next time put the sheet back right, cocksucker!" Lasser called him a "Faggot" and we left. Lasser almost lost his cool and pounded him. Can't do that. We checked what violations the guy had- "escape, inciting to riot, refusal to obey an order, assault, etc." Nice guy. Bet we search his cell again. 8-11-98 There is a picture over the window of tower #7 A kitten is grasping a rope, and the caption reads, "Lord, help me hang in there!" Amen! 4:30 and the inmate who was whacking weeds below is gone. I decided that what I thought was the Missouri river the first time I worked this tower, wasn't. I think I was looking at the airport runway. They just radioed that trays and ice are on the way. Good! I'm hungry. Spaghetti, corn, lettuce, bread and an apple. Got a bag of ice tonight and put it in the refrigerator. It leaks. I will soon have a puddle. No biggie, I also have a mop. It's 90+ degrees today. So far, no cats and no ground hogs. Couldn't see much of rec from here, even with the binoculars. Saw that there were three blue shirts and a white shirt on the lower yard. Found that unusual, but I don't know, I haven't been here that long to know. Found out the old housing unit to my right was known as "I hall". Hu-4 was "A-hall" 4 house now has one or two men to the cell, but used to house eight. Once, a Co could choke an inmate to keep him from swallowing contraband. Once, the use of force was commonplace. Once, they had fights and murders on almost a daily basis. Some of the older officers miss the "good old days". Personally, I think rehabilitation is the way to go. Wish I knew how to accomplish it. The department has made a high school diploma or a GED mandatory to be considered for parole. Just what we needed- smart crooks! As the sun sets a slight breeze begins to stir. Thunder heads approach slowly from the south west. Could be an interesting night, weather wise. Roof and yard check are starting. Better hurry, guys, if you don't want to get wet! I was wrong twice. The rain was all around us, but missed Jefferson City, and one of the guys doing yard check was a woman. 8-11-98 Well, at least I'm not in a tower tonight. I'm in 3-D, an ad. Seg. Unit. These guys don't get diddly squat! They get their juice (did that)- They get fed (did that) and, sometime tonight, they get ice (still gotta do that). I'm in here by myself with 17 bad guys. A couple are here for fighting. The one with the bloody head from 5-A is here. One, for minor assault. Two for possession of an intoxicating substance. One, out of bounds. Some for creating a disturbance and others for disobeying an order. The usual mix. The north side of this unit has electronically controlled cell doors The only button I have to worry about is the one that opens the door to the unit. They have a lot of trash out on the walk. Think I'll blow their minds and sweep it up. Swept both walks. One guy complained because he had his out-going mail on the floor outside his cell and I swept it up. I gave it back to him and told him that, if it is outside his cell and on the floor, it is garbage. It's hot here in the office. I have one small fan, which is more than they have. One guy is complaining that he got pepper sprayed today and his arm is burning. Said he wanted a shower, which I can't give him. Told him to wash it with soap and water, and if that doesn't help, oh, well. Oh well, hell! The guy broke the fire sprinkler head off the cell wall. It puts out between three hundred and five hundred gallons of water a minute. It took over a half an hour to shut it off. You figure it out, I'm tired. Sgt. Bowland came in the unit, as did CoIs Cain and Elmherst. The inmate that broke the sprinkler was moved to 5-C. Another inmate was brought in for possession of an intoxicating substance, heroin, I heard, and locked up. It took until 9:45 to get all the water cleaned up. I went to %-c and Sgt Backman read the violation to the inmate, rule 19, creating a disturbance, rule 26, tampering with a lock or safety device, and rule 31, destroying state property. My first write up. The Lieutenant told me when I came in this afternoon to call upstairs if I had any trouble. I said," I wont have any problems." He said," Oh, Don't say that!" I've learned, Lt; I've learned! Feel like I've earned my money tonight. I have blisters on my blisters from squeegeing the water off the floor, but Lord, don't the floor look nice and clean?!! 8-12-98 3-C bubble . Found out 3-D got flooded again today. The guy with the cut head did it this time. He must have liked playing in the water last night. Guess it didn't take as long to shut off, today. Working with Cos Lott, an academy classmate, and Slate. Sgt. Tabor has left the unit for the night. Inmates will try anything to set up an officer. Tobacco is contraband in ad. Seg. Units. Lott got this note tonight: "Say, Lott, say bro, All you got to do is go to one of those empty cells in the back, put a smoke in a book or paper and throw it to me! Anit (sic) no one going know nothen (sic) but me and you, and this will be my last time in asking you so put yourself in my place Dawg. You could be in here needing help so do the right thing and help a brother out man! I'm hurting like a mother-fucker. I know your (sic) cooler than what you let on so be yourself and just say fuck it, heres (sic) a smoke, bro! This could be you in this cell, so don't be so judgen (sic) bro. Be your own man!" ("own man" underlined three times). Lott and I did a security check of the outside exercise area. I found some cigarette papers and a full pouch of Topp tobacco. Someone is going to be angry that they didn't get their stuff! CoI Slate is on line computer-wise and we exchanged e mail addresses. 8-15-98 I'm in tower # 12 tonight. It's different from the others I have been in because I have to watch two different areas. Hu5 is in front of me while Hu -7 is to my right and sits outside the wall. It has an inner and outer perimeter fence with a 15" to 20" walk area between the two .I worked Hu-7 while doing my OJT (on the job training) with officer Lasser. It is an honor house where they have five years or less to go on their sentence. I think all of them have jobs either inside or outside of the institution. Some work at night cleaning the YMCA, some work at the governor's mansion, and some work on the grounds around our place. Hu-5 is ad. Seg. And PC (protective custody). I heard that an inmate there broke off the sprinkler head (There seems to be a rash of that going around!). He soaked his radio and television and wanted the state to buy him new ones. Sure. Directly behind this tower are five sets of railroad tracks. Behind them flows the Missouri River. Beyond is the airport and in the distance are trees and limestone bluffs. Nice view! Someone called to see if I wanted ice this evening (I do). Read and signed the post orders. Checked the Weapons and ammo. Saw one bright red cardinal and one ground hog so far. Time to look around... Hmmmm, another ground hog. 5:35 and I'm sleepy. Time for water. The water in this tower has a strong iron flavor, like old pipes. Hu-7 has an open door until close to ten o'clock when they do count. Until then, I have to lean forward and peek around the corner to check the fence, or go out on the walk which runs in a half-circle around the back from one door to the other. The other towers I have been in aren't like that. The binoculars in here are secured by a bungee cord that is attached to an electrical conduit pipe that ends above and to the center of the window, running from the left. Wonder who did that and why. To get to this tower, you have to come through the front sliding gate by tower 14 and down the hill to a gate operated electronically from tower 13.You walk through the yard in front of Hu-7 and go through an unlocked inner perimeter gate to a locked one on the outer perimeter. The officer that you are relieving lowers the key clipped to a ring down a wire that runs diagonally from the tower to the gate. You take the key, unlock the padlock and hang it on the fence. Walk in and unlock the tower door with the same key and climb up. The process is reversed when the other officer leaves. To get your food and ice, you lower a milk crate in the same fashion. The inmate has to maneuver the food tray around the fence post and into the crate. Inmates don't get keys, for some reason. The three cottonwood trees In Hu-7 yard drop tiny gold and silver parachutes in the setting sun. The Missouri River turns the color of an opal. An inmate in a red tank top and light blue shorts completes his sixth lap around the area. Two play basketball. Two lift weights. Trains pass, one after another with screeching wheels. As the runner finishes his eighth lap, I fire up the lights. Fog nestles in among the bluffs. The Katie-dids tune up their orchestra, and, hopefully, a calm night settles over the institution. I have one tower light out. Called it into control. There is a raccoon on the sidewalk below. 8-16-98 Hu-4. Worked with CoI Cain. I did first count and missed one who was going to the john. Had to go back and recount. Cain says there is dope in the house. He is going to drop a piss test (urinalysis) on a bunch he suspects in here. He thinks a Co is bringing it in and passing it to an inmate worker in the assembly room. If true, I hope they nail him! 8-17-98 3-C on the B side tonight. Phil Williams is in the suicide cell. He said he wanted to see the psychiatrist, because he wants out of the suicide cell .He said if he did not get to see the psychiatrist, he would hurt himself. Ever see a naked man banging his head on the cell bars? Told him the Sgt said the psychiatrist had left for the day. He complained that his cell was filthy and that there was blood all over the walls. Told him it wasn't blood, it was pepper spray. By this time, Phil had a nicely swollen welt in the center of his forehead. He said he wanted to be put in four point restraints. I told the Sergeant, who said that wasn't up to the inmate. He said that if the inmate started doing some real damage, like chewing holes in his wrists or if he put a gash in his head, we wouldn't do anything for about an hour, and then we would think about it. Ever try to talk sense to a naked man banging his head against the cell door? I started talking to him. He said he was a manic-depressive and not really suicidal but that he used self- mutilation to relieve tension. He is doing life for second degree murder. 8-23-98I'm in tower #2, right in the south west corner at the intersection of Lafayette and Capital streets. This tower looks like most of the other ones I've been in, only the hole you crawl through isn't as large. I bumped my head coming in. I relieved officer Bartell. He has even less time here than I do. Worked with him at 3-a&B while he was doing his OJT. This is his permanent assignment, but he has to go inside once a month for a day of inmate contact, as do all tower officers. I sit here wishing that someone will try to go over the wall so I could shoot him and get thirty days off with pay. If you use deadly force, you have to pee in a bottle, but, so what? I'm clean. Wouldn't even know where to buy a joint anymore. It's in the 90's again today. I hope the mosquitos won't be as bad here as they are by the river. My ankles look like I have the measles. 'Bout time to clear...Later! The red brick building that sits in front of me is only one story high. It used to be a housing unit. I don't know it's use, now. The light blue block building behind it is the gym, and has a music room upstairs. This, I learned while on my soggy stroll with officer Plough So far, I have spotted one ground hog and one orange striped cat The Marmaduke House, built for the warden in 1888, sits across the street from me. It is now a law office. I learn all this while playing with the binoculars and reading the sign in front of the place. Rec time. Two Cos run to the lower yard. Grabbed the radio and asked what was going on? 10-49. Fight. Perhaps someone should have put a bullet in the ground, but no one did. Two inmates in the upper yard look like they are going to get into it. I grab my shotgun and go out on the cat walk. Horse play. I put the shotgun back. Getting dark. Lights are on. Hope my wife is home when I get there, but I doubt it The orange cat waits patiently in the yard below my tower lights. As the bugs disable themselves banging against the lights, they fall to the ground below, and the cat eats them. 8-24-98 4 house. Was asking various officers and inmates what they thought made a good Co. The officers came up with "firm, fair and consistent Clear, concise paper work. Be honest. If you don't know, say you don't know. If you say you will find out, do it. Learn to say no. You can change a "no" to a "yes" easier than you can change a "yes" to a "no"' High on the inmate's list was to be treated equally and with respect. "Know the inmates. Be able to interpret behavioral changes. Know what slience means. Communicate- listen. Know who runs drugs and gambling, who the punks are- that's where your trouble will come from." Talked to an inmate called "Big O" about a program he has conceived called MED- Mind Elite Drive, that has ideas for the outside community to reduce violence in the workplace and at the schools. He said I could share this on the internet. Now, all I need is permission from the institution, otherwise, it could be considered trafficking, and they might feel I was being "caught up" by an inmate. He has some good ideas. The whole plan has a religious base. Worked with Cain, who has left already, leaving me alone with the bad guys, who are locked down for the night. Relief should show up soon. My wife better get back tonight. I have to drive tomorrow. 8-25-98 Wife got home fifteen minutes before I had to leave for work. Her cousin, Sandi, came over to give me a ride, in case she didn't get back in time. Always call for back up! Tower #14 today. It sits inside the front gate, which is broken, and the gate to Hu-7. Hot up here. Have to log vehicles in and out. One car is still gone. The chair in here faces the administration offices and the old entrance to the prison. Asked our superintendent , Mr. Dormire, if I could put "Big O's" material up on the net. He asked if he could look into it a little deeper. I gave my permission. Ha! Ha! I had to post tower 15 before I came up here. Tower #15 sits on the roof of the administration building and is only manned on the first and third shifts. "To post" means I had to go to the third floor with the assigned officer, wait until they climbed the ladder and went through the trap door, and then climb up, myself, and lock them in.. Tower #14 has a great view of the bluffs next to the airport. The garage is behind me. The female officer that I relieved has rigged a privacy curtain out of garbage bags around the toilet .. Said she wasn't about to do her business in front of God and everybody. Brenda Weigle, an academy classmate, is in tower 13 to my left. The last car just logged in. The concertina wire on the inside walls is designed to fold inwardly when it experiences body weight, but I doubt if it will work properly, since it is anchored to a strand of barbed wire. Maybe it would. I'm certainly not going to try it! The superintendent just left. As of tomorrow, I will have been a utility officer for one whole month. Carved in stone above the old entrance: "He who convertith a sinner from his way shall save a soul from death James 5-20 Inscribed by order of Fredrick Gardner 1917-1920" On the right side of the door is inscribed: "Female Dept. A.M. Dockery- Governer, F. M. Wooldridge- Warden, A. P. Williams, A. Gallen, E.G. Crow- Inspectors, MCCCXX" There is the state seal in stone and a clock with one hand pointing permanently to XII. There is a stone bust of someone who looks like Lennin from here. Two stone bears stand on either side of the great seal, a pigeon sits on the head of the one on the left. "Undivided we stand, divided we fall"- very true in here. Nothing changes- everything changes. Hu-6, inside the wall and to my left, is having rec now. It is an honor dorm that treats alcohol and drug problems. This tower has six extra shotguns that you release on orders from God, himself, in case of a major disturbance. All the emergency keys and the keys to round gate are also here. There is a rusty, cast iron toilet that looks as if it might have been lugged in by Daniel Boone. I can't decide whether the walls are yellow, and bleached by the sun, or if they are white, and yellowed with age. The windows are modern and have screens. The cast iron sink is small and has one faucet in the middle. It is mounted to the window frame in front of me. Outside, hand ball players drip sweat and horse shoes clank. I have ice under my hat to try and keep cool. 8-26-98 My one month anniversary. I started in tower # 7 and guess where I am today? E mailed an introduction for a text book on corrections to a guy in North Carolina. He says he liked it, and wants my picture to go with it. No money involved but still kinda kewl. I enjoy the NCI web site . They send you all the discussions via e mail. Discussions at present are on the distribution of condoms and medical care- interesting. Right now, the darlings are playing baseball in the lower yard, not that I can see much from here. Yawn! Yawn! And triple Yawn! It's gonna be a loooong night! Watched the returning industry workers being pat searched by the gate near the property room through my binoculars. The pigeons sit on the concrete roof of the old I hall staring at me. I stare back. They move on. The hole under the transformer has gotten bigger- busy ground hogs. Had to laugh earlier when I read the post orders. Someone had corrected the gramatical errors in a directive from the Major. They wrote, "Much improvement!" and gave him a B-. A fly annoys me and I grab the fly swatter (the shot gun being too far away). It's hot. My brain is fuzzy. Someone says something to me over the radio that I don't understand. I answer, "What did you say, man?" "I said, how do you read me?" "I read you 5x5." The phone rings twice. Nobody there. I know it was control, because I should have said 10-9, (repeat) the first time and 10-2, ( receiving well) the second time. 5x5 is cb lingo and could be confused with 10-5, (officer needs help)> I do know better, it is just so damned hot and these towers are so damned boring! Sun sets- lights on- YAWN!! 8-29-98 Hu-6 I might have found my niche at J-tripple-C. This is an intensive therapy community (ITC). Talked to a facilitator, Mr. Marven, who explained the program to me. One enters on a voluntary basis. The first six months are spent on the forth floor of the hospital where criminality, substance abuse, and alcoholism are addressed in a highly structured environment. The people in this house that are a part of the program come to attention for the four o'clock count outside their cubicles. The program follows a military type structure. The program has a good record- very little recidivism. Physical, this unit is set up similarly to Hu-7 in that it is made up of cubicles rather than cells. I don't fully understand the difference between the three floors, but the people on the first floor can't go into the second floor unit. The first two floors come to attention for the count, while the third floor doesn't. I asked officer Ness about it. He said the third floor is like the "swamp" on MASH. It lacks the structure and discipline of floors one and two. Maybe the goal is to get there. All these guys enter a twelve step program and narcotics anonymous. The program is unique for a maximum security prison in Missouri. I'm anxious to learn more, and enjoyed learning from the inmates. 8-30-98 Tower #14. Tomorrow is payday, and a good thing, too. Had a lot of extra car expense this month. Yesterday, in Hu-6, a guy asked me what happens if a tower officer goes postal and starts shooting indiscriminately. Told him that the people in the neighboring towers would probably take the man out. I told him that if he was in trouble, a blue shirt was his best friend. We are there to protect him, among other things. Told him it was a class C felony to not report abuse to an inmate. I don't think he believed me. The hospital roof is ringed by concertina wire (like they are going someplace from the forth floor roof!) Two inmates walk and turn in unison- in the ITC program, no doubt. Yesterday, Marven and I discussed Jim Henderson's (Mr. Hollywood) tape on alcohol and narcotics. We agreed that it was well done. He said I was the first Co to mention that tape to him. I saw it in training. Another man I talked with told me he had taught art and science on the outside. He got involved with crack cocaine and ended up in here .This place has 2500 sad stories. If you think of all the families of the offenders and their victims, the ripple effect of crime is staggering. Most inmates will be released some day, and I would be most pleased to help them return to normal, productive, crime-free lives. JCCC cuisine consists of two thick,greasy cold cuts of some kind, Lettice salad in a light vinaigrette dressing, vegetable soup, heavy on the black pepper and the inevitable baked bean entre and some kind of peach crunch stuff. I retained my two packs of Zesta, saltines for a later repast My stomach still rumbles from the effects of last night's chili. A long sward like splinter of the horse shoe box broke off. I had an inmate throw it to me so yard patrol wouldn't find it and stroke out. The sun sets behind a clock tower that appears equal in height to the capital dome. The dome looks like a huge, inverted bell, silhouetted against golden and lavender clouds with silver whisps. Gunfire at the airport. Time for lights. Just saw a guy from 6 house go by in his wheel chair. He had an ingrown toenail that became infected and turned the bone to oatmeal. He no longer has the toe. Noticed some of the wire on the hospital roof didn't look secure. Called controll and a utility officer checked it out. Nothing, but better safe than you know what. 8-31-98 3-C on the B side tonight. I escorted the nurse on her rounds on both sides of the unit. She said they call her "The Bitch". She seemed nice enough to me, but I'm used to my wife, "The Cast Iron Bitch". One guy is in here for throwing water and urine on an officer. One has heen here for about a year, he says, for arson. Another has had more fights than "Sugar Ray". Nice bunch of folks. Lots of sick cookies!
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E-mail your questions or suggestions to Bryan Nelson Last Updated: 11/22/2008 © 2002-2009, Deviant Crimes |