On Monday a memo was posted in each dorm that raised a few eyebrows and more than a few tempers. Starting yesterday, the unit was going to begin doing in-and-outs at the top of every hour. In-and-outs are for division of cell and dayroom time. The cell doors are shut all the time, except for getting anything you need out of the cell for the next hour or going to the bathroom.

Immediately, several guys shared arguments against this new policy. First, we don't have any toilets in the dayroom, so for those unfortunate few with poor bladder control, it becomes a messy situation quite easily.

Second, our cells are not equipped with panic buttons like at other units. If someone is in serious medical trouble, there is not a way to alert the guards.

Third, a few guards are so unfriendly toward inmates that they will probably use this as a new form of institutional punishment and leave us in our cells or dayroom. I overheard someone talking to the major about this point a few days ago. The major replied that he could think of some guards who could be a problem and if they did cause trouble, write them up in a grievance and they will be taken care of.

Yesterday the in-and-outs started, at least in some dorms. The team of guards that worked on the trio of dorms where I reside were too lazy to even think about implementing the new policy. We inmates continued to move freely from the dayroom to cell and back until the night shift arrived. The strict rule went in to place, to the chagrin of those of us wearing white.

I didn't mind much because I tend to stay in my cell during the evening. If things work like they did yesterday, hit or miss, in-and-outs won't be so bad. It is pitiful to see the guards here so lazy they won't even follow orders. I'm glad this set of orders isn't followed through very well, though.

First Impressions

Well, I've been here a couple of days now and I guess it's time to describe my first impressions. It would probably take a long time for me to spit out everything, so I'm just going to do a bullet list. Here goes:

• No more "Let's-have-pork-at every-meal'
• A/C: The Texas Necessity
• Fresh fruit, not from a can
• My clothes are my clothes (no unexplained stains)
• Satellite with movies galore
• More weight sets than we know what to do with (medicine balls, too!)
• Flip up your trays and buckle up; the descent to the free world begins here.
• Administration oversees men, not inmates (they want us to succeed, too.)
• Hallelujah! Two or three Christian studies each night
• The shabby chic peeling paint and rust is a thing of the past
• A shower without a timer? You mean I control the water? Cool!
• Only place to absorb vitamin D is at rec (if outdoors)
• Progress toward degree still halted
• Is this cell a broom closet?
• Hey, this window won't open

Another place, another "home"

Yesterday I arrived at my permanent unit in Dayton outside Houston. I left the red-brick unit faster than I thought I would have. My poor cellie had been there over fifty days waiting to be moved while I left after four. On the way over here I was handcuffed to a guy who will be going home on parole soon after being in prison since 1984 - 25 years! Whew! I think any amount of time being incarcerated feels like it will last forever, but I'm glad I only have to do five at most instead of twenty-five.

After arriving at this 1100-man unit in the middle of nowhere, I sat in a cage outside for two hours while waiting to see the unit classification committee to get housing and job assignment. The housing here is also two-man cells, but they are bigger then those in the red-brick unit - about 9' X 12". Each bunk has its own window that opens to allow air through.

We have a desk with a shelf above it for storing our hygiene stuff. This is the first place I've been to where you can control the lighting in your own housing.

The cell opens into a dayroom lined with two floors of twenty cells and two shower areas with individual showers. There are eight tables on one side of the dayroom and two TV's facing each other with benches between.

The best thing so far is the presence of radios, hotpots, and fans. I haven't been able to get my own yet, but my cellie lets me use his hotpot and radio if he's not using them. I haven't been able to sit and listen to music in so long that it's worth all the commercials of stupid Clear Channel stations. For a few hours last night I lay in my bunk listening to classical music on public radio - not something I usually do but it was great!

I saw a few familiar faces when I showed up. There are a few guys from my first unit in Jasper and even more that I saw from my previous unit in San Saba. When I went to dinner last night, the guy filling the drink pitchers saw me and came over to say hello. He's a guy I played soccer with in San Saba and a strong Christian guy. It was really cool to see an old friend. I can already tell that God brought me to a good spot.