Hygiene - May 5, 2010

One of the most peculiar and disturbing things to observe in prison dorm life is the wide spectrum of hygiene prevalent among the "residents".  We have one inmate living with us who has Crohn's Disease which causes him to empty his bowels upward of five or six times an hour.  Yet, he refuses to wash his hands!

Then there is "Tim".  He is one of the foulest men I've ever met.  He is the epitome of a grumpy, nasty, old derelict.  A few weeks ago, one of the "housemen" (an inmate responsible for cleaning the building) discovered someone had used the toilet, wiped, and instead of flushing the paper, stuck it on the wall.  Later, we kept noticing the bathroom smelled like cat urine and there was always a puddle under one urinal.  Just the other night we caught the culprit red-handed (or his hand somewhere!).  It was Tim.  The houseman caught him "dropping trough" on the floor.  Tim had to cover his butt literally. He made a run to the sergeant's office for protection -- guys don't take kindly to pigs.  He faced serious repercussions had he not "reported" his fear to the officers.  Now he's off limits; a snitch who is being closely watched to see if he wets the floor again.

You learn to adapt.  You don't shake hands with anyone you don't know extremely well.  You "pound fists" instead.  You only eat with certain people and share bowls and cups with even less.

Before using the toilet, you wipe the seat down with soap and tissue.  Then, you line the seat double row with toilet tissue.  You never sit on the seat "raw squirrel" (i.e. sans tissue).  You push doors open with your shoulder, never your hands.  And you wash your hands constantly. 

Brushing your teeth becomes ritualistic for some, a nuisance for others.  Guys concerned with their dental hygiene brush their teeth five, six times a day.  They've heard horror stories about the dentist being a veterinary school reject.  It takes over nine months to get a dental cleaning appointment.  Guys with serious dental needs - gum infections, teeth needing extraction, root canals - wait weeks, sometimes months for treatment.  Their only relief while waiting:  Motrin.

It is astounding to see the vast number of young men with missing teeth, dentures, and rotten gum lines.  Their breath stinks.  They suck on candy mints rather than brushing the few teeth they have left.

Then there are the guys who don't shower.  They go outside or play basketball and sweat and stink and then climb in their bunks.  "The water makes my skin breakout".  What?  These are foul, disgusting guys who absolutely reek of b.o.  They are mercilessly ridiculed by the "clean guys" and threatened to be beaten within an ounce of their smelly life.  It leads to a quick shower and for a few days the stench is gone.  But gradually the odor returns and the cycle of not bathing, threats, then quick showers begins again. 

The rest of us - the "clean crew" use the showers daily (sometimes twice or more in a single day).  Guys buy aftershave lotion, bath and body powder, lotion (aloe or cocoa butter) to help with dry skin.  Soap - Ivory, Tone, Dial antibacterial, Irish Spring Sport - are purchased each commissary.  We buy these products not just to remain clean but as our challenge to disgusting men we see living around us.  It's our way of remaining even a little free and not institutionalized.