Officers, Officers Everywhere

A couple of incidents this week involving officers and it reminded me whatever system we may design, it ultimately comes to the people in place to make or break the operation. Prisons are despicable places.  In spite of that, some decent folks work here. Change that.  The majority of officers are decent people doing a low paid, blue collar job.  Even at this level, some danger exists.  Most don’t like having to “watch” or discipline the general population in here.  They want to come to work, do their jobs and go home at the end of their shift.

There are others, however, who let the power go to their heads, who get a warped sense of satisfaction out of humiliating the men in here.  Prison is a time bomb.  You hold a man, confined in small, crowded space, you subject him to indignity upon indignity, deprive him of even basic levels of self-respect and privacy, and it weighs on him.  He gets a letter from his wife or girlfriend, who tells him she’s found another.  Or, his family and friends abandon him, and the hurt, the loneliness fester.  That man doesn’t need a reason to lash out; he already has it.  In the midst of that cauldron of anger and bitterness these officers work.  Most keep things cool.  A few set the fuse and watch the explosion.

In “2” building the other day, Sgt. “H” decided to remove a man’s meal from the microwave.  You never touch someone else’s food unless you’re ok’d by the owner to do it.  We live in a cesspool in here.  96 men jammed into an extremely small space.  Some men use the bathroom without even washing their hands.  Sgt. H is (sorry to be impolite) an a-hole.  He pushes men around, threatening charges.  Awhile ago a minor charge was no big deal.  Now, the warden tries to use any charge as a ground to reduce our already pitiful good time allowance of 4 ½ days per month to 3 (twice I’ve won appeals for guys getting their good time reinstated.  “Due process” – as written by DOC’s own good time procedure doesn’t allow it.  Still the warden arbitrarily takes good time).  Any charge is serious.

So H grabs the inmate’s food out of the microwave and tosses it out.  “Dayroom is closed”, he yells out.  What does the inmate do?  He goes at H, slugs him once or twice.  H, however, is huge.  He body slams the inmate and then chokes him into unconsciousness.  The inmate is hauled out and within hours shipped to level “4” Nottoway.  H remains but “2” building is aroused.  Epithets are yelled nonstop.  Word gets out on “inmate.com” our grapevine.

Could that have been avoided?  Sure.  H acts like he’s just enforcing the rules, but he’s an in your face confrontational clown.  Tick, Tick.  2 building almost explodes. 

We’ve had our own problem:  CO “Barky”.  First issue:  he watches guys in the shower.  This isn’t the first building or first time that issue has come up.  Once, in “3” building, an inmate called him out for staring at him while he slept.  Now, we have Barky with us.  He works overnight and sets himself up with a direct line of sight into the bathroom.  Guys call him out on it calling him every name possible.  Barky gets embarrassed – for getting caught – then announces “I’m writing charges”.  He nitpicks and badgers and pesters and the shouts and profanity grows.

A few mornings ago I had a run in with him.  4:30 am, my prayers completed, I sit in my chair and write until I can shower at 5:15.  I’ve done this every day I’ve been here (two years).  “You can’t be off your bunk until 5:15” he tells me.  I point out: 

1.    I’ve done this for two years;

2.    There are a half dozen Muslims praying at the exact time he’s telling me to get in my bunk;

3.    The rule states “during quiet time (Monday – Thursday 12:00 am – 5:15 am) you must be in, on, or next to your bunk.” 

His response, “get in your bunk or I’ll write you a charge”.  This morning, Barky stopped a Muslim inmate mid-prayer.  The reason?  “You can only pray in your cut.”  Problem is, this building doesn’t face East-West.  It is an overlooked rule.  Tick, Tick.

I lost my verbal cool.  “I’ll get in my bunk.  You quit watchin’ us shower!”  He was shocked!  I knew he wouldn’t write a charge.  He couldn’t take a chance I’d tell the building Sarge what took place.

Last night, Barky struck again.  He tried to get IG (my bunkmate) to take a Muslim brother’s food from the microwave.  IG was sharing the meal, but hadn’t prepared the wrap.  Result?  IG received a “minor” charge:  “failure to obey a direct order”.  Here’s the thing, the “facts” Barky detailed are false.  IG has a meeting with the watch commander today to discuss it.  He can beat the charge, even with the Kangaroo Court system we have here to meet due process requirements on institutional charges.

Guys here in the building are starting to push paper – dropping anonymous notes on Barky demanding he be re-assigned.  Barky is the worst kind of officer you can have on a compound.  His sexual proclivities, his use of charges to harass, all create a stew of mistrust and anger.

This is a tough environment.  There are hundreds of men suffering from severe mental illness; drug and alcohol abuse issues run rampant.  There are strong predators who prey on the weak.  Confinement, isolation, separation lead to exposing the worst in human nature.  Loneliness, bitterness and anger simmer.  The fact there aren’t more violent episodes is a testament to the humanity of many of the men here and the decency of most of the officers and staff.

America’s prison system is a failure.  It accomplishes almost none of the goals it sets.  In the midst of this abject failure, officers like H and Barky grow comfortable.  They make it tougher on the decent ones.   They make it tough to do your time.  They keep the time bomb ticking.