reg's jail journals ... Sleepy Hollow Correctional Centre
Day 4 (October 31)
Again I awaken feeling well rested, feeling good. Today is Saturday and we are allowed to sleep in (and we don’t have to put a request to do so). The extra time to sleep is much appreciated, makes me feel a little more relaxed. All in all, I am surprised, shaken even, that I find it so easy to ‘do time’ here. One of the promises of AA is that “we will intuitively know how to handle situations used to baffle us”, and I believe that this has come true to me. This is my second visit to Sleepy Hollow. The first was a 15 day sentence for leaving the scene of an accident, which I served in 1992. At that time, I was in minimum security and I was depressed and miserable the whole time I was here. Except for meals, I spent all of my time in my cell reading (even to this day, whenever I see a Readers Digest or National Geographic magazine, I am reminded of this place). I am reminded of this place). I kept to myself and did not talk to anyone while I was here.
Something that is bothering me, after speaking with my mother last night, is how little confidence my family has here in my ability to deal with this situation. I remain confident that when I have my day in court, this place will be in my past (later, I will discuss my courtroom strategy). The impression I get from my mother is that everyone is disappointed and feels that the situation is hopeless. Nothing is hopeless and I aim to prove that to all concerned.
The first thing I did this morning was have a shower, which is not as straightforward as you would think. There is only one knob in the shower; cold. To get hot water you must first turn on the shower and then go to the guard and ask him to turn on the hot water. Why this is, I have no understanding. As I said before, even the simplest things are made complicated in here.
Now I shall take a break. I have asked Robbie to roll a cigarette for me, as I am just not much good at that, having spent most of my life in a world with ‘tailor made’ cigarettes, which are rarely seen in places like this, and highly coveted.
I just returned from lunch today. Today we eat like kings. Hot dogs and French fries. I never thought I could enjoy such a meal so much. But this is life in jail. There is a sort of hierarchy within the population here where certain inmates have places in the dining room where only they can sit and this must be respected by other inmates (if not I suspect they incur a beating). My position is still somewhat open although I have been invited to sit at the table next to the ‘main’ table so usually I choose to take this place. Although I don’t feel I have a big ego I do take some pride in the fact that I am accepted by the other inmates. Within the hierarchy con artists, bank robbers or generally criminals who are very clever take the highest positions; drug offenders are somewhere in the high middle; and sex offenders are at the very bottom. Sex offenders often have to be separated from the general population as their presence brings forth anger and hostility from other inmates.
Respect for one another is a big issue amongst the inmates, although, from what I’m told, it is not carried out as far here as it is in many other institutions, especially in Ontario. One of the inmates here, Doug, did some time in a jail in Hamilton. He tells me that in that place inmates must be totally quiet until noon (this is not a regulation of the institution, it is a code of ethics among the inmates). Even if you use the toilet during the night you must not flush it ‘till noon (or else a beating). The TV must not be turned on, conversation must be in whisper. He told me of one incident where two men (one black, one white) were waiting to take a shower. Each had their towel on a certain hook outside the shower. Actually both had their towels on a hook, the white man knew which hook was his and the black man, a new guy, didn’t realize he had to use a certain hook. The black man took his shower and after drying himself off put his towel back on a hook, which was another inmates hook. The white man called the black guy a goof, which is the worst insult one inmate can make to another. The black man shrugged it off, not realizing what it meant to be called a goof. Then one of the other inmates said to him, “that guy called you a goof. You have to do something about that”. Again the black guy shrugged it off. A short time later several of the other inmates jumped him and gave him a severe beating, just because he had not stood up for himself. That’s how life is on the inside. So far I have not seen any examples of one inmate violating anothers respect although there is some concern and hostile feelings toward a suspected sex offender in another unit.
I am incurring some good natured ribbing from the guys for being in here for taking phenobarb, as it is not a drug used to get high, although it is a prescription drug used in drug treatment. How do I get myself in these situations?
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