In Prison or Out: Don't Be That Guy

 Every prison, actually every housing unit in prison, has at least one person who is at the center of much of the drama. I say "person" rather than "prisoner" because sometimes that person is a prisoner, but it could just as well be a corrections officer. 

If a prisoner, he's usually loud and obnoxious, rude and inconsiderate, and he needs to be the center of attention. He picks arguments quickly, uses his body to "claim space," bullies (or assaults) vulnerable prisoners, tells outlandish lies, and nearly always belongs to a group of other prisoners (usually a gang) who will defend him if someone decides to test his phony mettle. Sometimes this prisoner is organized in his chaos, but more often, he just causes destruction wherever he is. He feeds off chaos. Anything else is boring. 

The center of the drama is sometimes a corrections officer who is much like the aforementioned prisoner. The officer is loud and obnoxious, rude and inconsiderate, and he too picks arguments quickly. This officer is quick to pick out prisoners he can bully. He abuses his power with threats and sometimes actions. He, too, has a "gang" to protect and defend him if a prisoner decides to test his phony mettle. I've seen it happen numerous times. Only, this "gang" has tasers, handcuffs, gun towers, and solitary confinement where prisoners sometimes "commit suicide" after such an incident. There's a reason Harvey Weinstein's "suicide" is suspicious. 

Sometimes, the person at the center of the drama is quiet, but highly manipulative. If a prisoner, he quietly sets up extravagant ploys to manipulate unsuspecting or vulnerable prisoners out of store goods, money transfers, or sexual favors. He might pretend to offer protection against other dangerous prisoners. He might also offer his "expertise" (usually in law, most often a false pretense) in order to "legitimize" his scheme. Outwardly, this prisoner might appear outgoing and likeable. He usually has charisma that makes naive people trust him. Sometimes, though, this prisoner simply uses quiet threats to exploit his victims. If he can discover his victim's fears, he can exploit them. 

The quiet corrections officer at the center of drama uses the pen as a weapon. He writes misconduct tickets, sometimes legitimate, sometimes not, and targets prisoners he does not like. He also quietly enlists the help of his cronies to bully prisoners. Sometimes those prisoners put themselves in the line of fire, but sometimes not. This CO quietly uses excessive cell shakedowns to disrupt prisoners' lives. When he shakes down a prisoner's person, he does so in a demeaning manner. He also uses silence, sarcasm, and snide remarks to tear prisoners down and remind them who has the power. 

For these prisoners and officers alike, it's always about power. Great disparities in power, like those in prison, are petri dishes breeding abuses of power. Sometimes those abuses are between authority figures, like prison guards, and those they control. Sometimes it's between one powerless person who assumes a form of power, like the prisoner at the center of drama, over another. 

It is impossible to avoid encountering these drama-hungry people in prison. It's an inevitablility. Prisoners with good social and communication skills can usually avoid becoming a target, or at least a victim. But not always. Too often, I've had to swallow my pride, let an insult or offense go, or simply walk away from an encounter to avoid the consequences I'd face if I took matters into my own hands. It's at times like these that I remind myself--I've been that guy. Maybe not in the same way, but I've been both the victim and the victimizer. That makes me sensitive to abuse, but it also gives me hope for the guy at the center of the drama. There's always hope he'll turn a corner and leave that guy in the past. I did, and so can he.