Catching up

Some final thoughts about the CCC guards.

I stopped writing the blog about my time at CCC because thats what I do...I am gung ho and then I stop.

I have to say that the time there was extremely educational.  I learned a lot about living on the streets.  I really wasnt there very much except on Sundays and even then I was out for 5 hours to go to an AA meeting.

I met some really interesting people.  People who I would never have known in my former life.  I still talk to a couple of them.  

The days at CCC did get down to a routine.  I gained a certain (albeit limited) credibility with a number of the guards and so I had an easier time than most.   I kept my schedule the same because I didn't want to deal with the computer issues that the department of corrections had. 

There were a number of really good people working there.  One guard, D****, was always so cool to me when I came in and I enjoyed talking to him.  One of the cooler things he did was to let me in on the truth behind a rumor.  The inmates at CCC had nothing to do all day but to talk and gossip....a bunch of old ladies really.  They craved knowledge of the personal lives of the guards and if they did not know it, they made it up.

This particular rumor was that he and another guard, Miss M****, were mother and son.  It was sort of difficult to see as Miss M was black and D, while olive complected, was white but I am not a geneticist. Anyway, he told me at some point that the rumor was false and I didnt tell anyone the truth as I thought it was really fun to see how the rumor took on a life of its own.

Miss M was also very cool.  She gave me the crosswords on the Sundays she worked. When there was a problem with a guard not wanting to let me out one day, she walked down to  deal with the jerk and got me out.  Her husband was an interesting character: short white guy with slick-em back hair.  However, he has this 6th sense about contraband and smuggling and could find crap that no one else could find and then nail the inmate to the wall. I never had a problem with him (or any of the guards)

D saved me at the end.   There was, not surprisingly, a glitch with my paper work and on the day I was supposed to get out, it looked like I wasn't going to get out.  D made a series of phone calls (on a Saturday night) and got me released.  I will always be thankful for that.  He could have been a prick but he was a decent guy and I hope to meet him again on the street so that I tell him so.

D's partner was a black man by the name of A**********.  He was well-hated among the inmates but I really enjoyed him.   He looked out for me in small ways (like getting me a bottom bunk) and letting me have canteen when It wasn't available.  He was also a writer.  I read one of his books.  He is passionate about his heritage and that is clear from his writings.

A couple of the other guards were just assholes.  One was so obviously gay and was always doing the strip searches.  One of my buddies there had (apparently) a very large penis and this guard would always search him alone and make him stand there totally nude and throughly search his penis and balls.  This never happened to anyone else.  He also liked to do shower inspections...but only when a guy was in the shower.

Another guard was older and very cranky.  He was in charge of outgoing and incoming inmates.  I tried to make friends with him but he proved a difficult read.  Later when I was watching "Lock-up: Louisville" I found out that his brother had been killed and that the killer was an inmate at the DOC.   I cannot imagine how that must have hurt.   He never had much contact with the killer but just to know that your brother's killer was there (and there was nothing he could do about it) must have been pretty galling.  I respected him after that.  

There was this one redneck guard who I just could not stand.  She let her power go to her head...Rude for no reason and just fowl to look at.   She was into make-up and zombie walks..She really made my time there harder and I hope to see her sometime on the street so I can tell her so.

Finally there was P**re.  What an abusive, obnoxious, racist POS!  I knew him from my old gym but he didn't remember me.  A good idea since I knew about his use of steroids and other assorted sundries.   He was particularly hard on white guys and mean for the sake of being mean.  I saw him strike a couple of inmates purely for fun and then walk off.  I think he thought it brought him respect but he was sabotaged at various levels and well hated throughout the facility.

All in all, I think that being a guard is pretty tough.   I don't think the pay is good. While my dorm did not constitute not a threat on a daily basis, there were long periods of boredom coupled with moments of sheer terror. 

Updates

Its been a while since I have written...its not that nothing has happened but more that I have allowed my fear to take over while I establish myself in this somewhat foreign environment.

My days have come down to a routine..I am comfortable with many of the other residents and some of the guards. 

Sunday turns into Monday

I was told that even after I got over the CCC that the process would take a while and that I should not expect to get out any earlier than Tuesday....

Four days without my phone!  That actually was ok as I had earlier received a text telling me that I was out of minutes.

The trip to CCC was crazy - I was chained to another guy who had no coordination at all and as a result, kept tripping.  It was comical yet sad.

While we were waiting we  were treated to a diatribe by a CO who indicated how much he hated working at LMDC and that he was merely waiting for his pension to vest after which he would be gone.

When we got out of the paddy wagon...yes, I was in the back of a paddy wagon and thankfully sober this time, I saw where we were going and all it reminded me of was a 1950's catholic school.

As I was work release and the others were not, I was treated differently.  I got to keep my clothes (which were still the khaki shorts which were too small and the button had popped and a titlest shirt that was now rank).

There was much more freedom initially.  I went upstairs to my "dorm"..got a NASTY mattress and an even nastier blanket and a boat which is like a platform.  I put my mattress in the wrong way and it was more like a mattress holder and it would appear that the mattress would not fall off.

The dorm was dingy - the guys' clothes were hanging all over the place..there were lights on; although they had been dimmed and it appeared that no one was awake...that was wrong.

I made up my bunk and actually did sleep...although not fitfully.  I had gotten past the court, the jail and now had a taste of CCC...now that I was in there, how was I to get out of there...quickly and for as long as possible.