April 19, 2013

"A blog waits for no man." --Andrew Sullivan

Dear Readers:

Howdy! I hope all of you are well and happy.

Let's see... well, some news is that I am now an "unhealthy contract" with the guys in the drug program. This basically means that I am to be "shunned", not spoken to or associated with in any way. Why, you may ask? Well, one day I am out on the yard and this guy I know recommends me to another guy who has a pinched nerve or whatever in his back. He has a lot of back pain. I happen to give massages, and have done so for most of my life (I remember doing one in 2nd grade). I'm really pretty good at it. So, my friend recommends me to this guy in pain who happens to be in the drug program.

A little background on the drug program. The drug program exists on this compound and guys are shipped here from other prisons specifically to participate in it. After successfully completing the drug program, they receive a year off their sentence (under certain restrictions -- some guys won't even qualify for that), plus they get preferred placement in a halfway house (and I think that's it). They live in their own units on the compound and it's very like being in an "AA/NA" in-house treatment program. The bad part about it is that the inmates in the program, instead of trying to help their fellow inmates get through the program, make it their mission to get the other guys in trouble by reporting on them, which can get them kicked out of the program. In other words, they're a bunch of "rats" who are working for the BOP to screw over their fellow inmates.

OK, so this guy is in a lot of pain -- he's hunched over, etc., and so after being asked, I agree to do what I can. He lays down on a mat on the yard right by his friends and in the middle of everyone. There are guys walking the track just a few yards away from us. My point is, someone is always there, there's nothing "untoward" going on -- period. So, I work on his back for a half hour or so and that's it and he goes on his way, hopefully with some relief from the pain. That should be it, right? Wrong.

I later learn that he's "held accountable" for "what he did" by the other guys in the program. Further, I get labeled an "unhealthy contract" for what I did (agreeing to help someone out who is in pain). Are you f-cking kidding me?? I know I should be proud of being labeled an "unhealthy contract", but I'd at least like it be for a good reason, right?? These people are absurd.

Also... a friend of mine here has been having problems with the case manager and the unit manager (you know the one), getting his release package sent out. There's been A LOT of problems for him with getting this done, and it affects his stay here in prison. A big priority, right? So, since the staff here is screwing him around, his family calls the regional office to complain about this, and to find out why the staff here is preventing him from coming home when he's supposed to. So, what happens? A couple of days ago this same guy is sent to the Lt's office and is locked up in the Hole. For no reason other than trying to get staff to do their job. That shows how mental some of the staff here are. They think they can get away with anything and often do because most inmates won't stand up for themselves and file the necessary complaints against these people. Yet, even if they do, the grievance system is set up so that everything is usually denied and/or they delay it so long that this guy, if he filed now, would be out of prison in Aug. or Sept. before all the appeals are done and it would be denied as "moot". F-cking crazy.

Other than that, on the weather front, I had felt like crap a couple weeks ago and thought it was due to allergies. So, we finally got some rain last week and now there are yellow streaks on the sidewalks from all the pollen. And the other day when I was barefoot on the yard, my feet ended up with yellow dust all over them. Crazy! I've never seen so much pollen. No wonder I felt like doo-doo.

Otherwise... I hope everyone is well. Love one another and send out good energy.

Love & Blessings,

kelly