Across the cell from mine, the prisoner in administrative segregation (the hole) shouted loudly. He followed this with more expletives and railings against the corrections officers and loud banging against his metal locker. He'd been sitting in the cell for several hours without any linens for his bed, or even a roll of tissue in case he needed to use the toilet.
For the next several hours, the same prisoner threatened prison guards, other prisoners, and even family members of both. Other idiots in the housing unit mocked him loudly, egging him on and hyping him up with their mockery. He responded by throwing urine out of his cell onto whomever was passing by on base.
In response to his antics, the officers talked to him, trying to negotiate better behavior from him. It didn't work. He talked quietly with them while they stood at his door, but as soon as they left, he called them every name he could think of and resumed his threats against everyone in the housing unit.
This prisoner had the gall to even demand that other prisoners provide him with snacks to eat, the same people he had just thrown urine at. One would think that he had gone crazy, but apparently it's worked for him before.
Continuing his theatrics, the prisoner then "barricaded" himself in his room, covering his bars in front and back with his locker and bedframe. The officers had difficulty seeing him in his cell at all. Soon, other officers were called, and more negotiations continued. After thirty minutes or so, he "surrendered" to the officers, only to be put in an observation cell, where he was stripped to a suicide watch outfit and afforded no linens at all. So much for his earlier demands.
Other prisoners continued to antagonize and harass the man, for no reason other than their own childishness. I feel like I'm surrounded by a daycare of man-children sometimes.
In retaliation for the mockery, and because of his anger in general, the prisoner now in observation decided to keep the entire housing unit awake all night. He repeatedly kicked his plexiglass covered cell door very loudly every ten minutes or so, all night long. Every time I would start to drift off to sleep, I would be startled awake by the loud banging and yelling.
Fortunately, this prisoner was transferred to a higher security level the next day. He had been playing a crazy role to try to get to a prison for prisoners with acute mental illness. It didn't work, and now he's on his way to a high security level. His threats against the officers (not us prisoners) and his flashing of female medical staff earned him several misconducts that likely increased his security level.
I do not understand why some prisoners intentionally make their prison time difficult with such behavior. I suppose they have their reasons, but I just don't get it. If it is intentional and an act, like this guy claimed it was, at the very least it demonstrates an inability to abide by social norms. It shows a marked lack of social awareness and decorum.
This prisoner will complete his maximum sentence in three years, so he doesn't care. He'll leave prison and enter society, with a record of prison behavior that will undoubtedly be repeated in society. He is highly likely to return to prison within the first few months of his release, if he even survives that long.
It's sad, but it's a reality in prison. Some prisoners are entrenched in their antisocial behaviors and have absolutely no interest in conformity to any sense of normalcy. They think only of themselves and have no concern for anyone else.
I don't know what the answer is to dealing with prisoners like this, and clearly the system itself has no clue either. They can try to coerce behavior changes, but Michigan has no incentive for prisoners to change. Even if they did, I doubt this prisoner, or others like him, would place much value on the incentive. For some, prison is about the best they can hope for in life, and that's tragically sad.
Tonight, I hope to sleep a little more soundly, until the next prisoner with uncontrollable behavior shows up. I wonder how long that will be?
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