Prison Transfer Leaves Prisoners Sore and Exhausted

 On August 18th, I was transferred to another prison facility. I knew this transfer was coming, though it didn't turn out how I expected. I was supposed to go to one prison, to help the fledgling college program started there. Instead, I was sent to a level one prison, where corrections programming, college courses, and other programs have been up and running for a while now. 

Still, the transfer itself was quite an experience. 

At about 6:30 in the morning, after a night locked down because of a very bad assault in my housing unit, I was sent to the control center to ride out. I had packed my property the night before and sent it to the property room for my transfer. 

After the next hour being shackled and handcuffed to belly chains with several other prisoners, I proceeded, with the same two officers escorting me, through no less than four checkpoints, stopping to give my name and prison number at each checkpoint. Then, I piled into the transport van with the other prisoners and started our journey. 

We stopped at several other prisons along the way to pick up other prisoners, each one loading on the transport bus with us. As the bus filled up, we were forced to double up in the too small seats, one prisoner leaning towards the aisle while the other leaned towards the window. The discomfort of the too small seats was magnified many fold by our inability to adjust our arms, which were secured inches from our hips. Have you ever noticed how much your nose itches when you can't scratch it? 

After numerous stops along the way, including at some prisons that were to be final destinations for some of the bus occupants, we arrived at a central hub in St. Louis, Michigan. It was nearly eleven-thirty by the time we arrived. We were escorted off the bus and directed to holding cages. The cages sat inside a concrete floored garage, each cage bare, except for benches to sit upon. 

For the next hour and a half, we sat in the cages as more and more prisoners were offloaded from other buses and escorted into the pens. We were given a bathroom break, still in shackles and belly chains, shortly after arriving. 

Finally, the cage I was in was opened, and we prisoners were herded onto another, older and more rattly bus. As we climbed aboard, we were handed a bagged lunch--consisting of a cheese sandwich, a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, and a nasty "lemonade" drink. It's very difficult, but not impossible, to eat anything while in belly chains. 

After another two hours of driving and stopping, I soon arrived at my destination. It was not the prison I had expected to be transferred to. (Thankfully, it sounds like this mistake will soon be corrected.) Upon arrival, I and two other prisoners offloaded and went through processing (strip searched, medical "evaluation," and lots more waiting) before arriving at our assigned housing unit in the late afternoon. It was an exhausting experience. More on this experience next post.

How to Spend a Rainy Day in Prison

 The meteorologist said the day would be marked by spotty, occasional showers. The radar showed rain moving through, but it looked like I could still schedule my run for the afternoon yard time. It was the weekend, and though I often exercise throughout the week, the weekends are normally for sure exercise days. 

So, when the corrections officer called breakfast in our unit and it was lightly sprinkling, I figured it wouldn't last long. Boy was I wrong. So was the meteorologist (big surprise, right?). 

After breakfast, the light sprinkling continued, and then it turned to a steady light rain. Surely it wouldn't last long, right? Wrong. It turns out it rained all day, a steady light rain, just hard enough to keep everyone indoors. The rain, combined with the reality that most prisoners were not working on the weekend meant the dayroom would be packed. 

I spent the morning in my cell, catching up on some news and playing a new golfing video game I just purchased (I'm not really a video game guy, normally). After count time, lunch was called, and we walked to lunch in the rain. At least the chicken patties were decent for a change. I and a few friends had started playing a game one of them designed, based off the game "Pandemic," and after lunch we returned to it to finish the game. We had planned to play a second time, but our plans quickly changed. 

Because everyone was indoors, the dayroom was packed and very loud. After lunch, we noticed some guys had snuck in some prison hooch (homemade alcohol). That's always a good indicator that things are about to get louder and potentially more volatile. So, we finished our first game and called it a day. 

The rest of the day I spent in my cell, watching some sports, playing a little more of the golfing game, and taking a nap. As far as I know, no drama transpired in the dayroom after we left, but I was happy to not stick around and find out. Paying attention to one's surroundings in prison pays off when you can learn to avoid a lot of situations that may escalate. 

The day turned out to be a mostly quiet, lazy day. I'm the kind of person who prefers to stay busy and productive, but I do appreciate a day to relax every once in a while (and we've needed the rain!). Of course, I'd rather relax outside of prison, but we make the best of our situations, right? I'm grateful I at least have a good bunkie so my cell is a place of refuge from the often chaotic conditions in prison.

Michigan Prisoners Assaulted -- by Heat and Humidity

On the walk back from breakfast this morning, fog lingered in patches around the prison. The air was heavy with dampness, but the relative coolness of the early morning was a brief reprieve from the coming heat and humidity. Today, it's supposed to be in the mid-90s (F) and a dew point above 70 degrees. In other words, it's an air conditioning day, only we don't have air conditioning in prison. 

Shortly after breakfast, I went outside for a walk. I normally work out in the morning, but the stickiness of the day had already started, and I decided a walk was enough today. Forty-five minutes later, I was flushed and sweating, just from walking. Others who were working out walked the track too, their shirts soaking wet with sweat. It's clearly going to be miserably hot and humid today. 

After my walk, I went to take a shower. That first rush of water, where the water has been cooling in the pipes, provided a brief rush of cool water. I let it hit me with its shocking coolness, because I knew it was the only coolness I'd feel all day. Prison showers often have their temperatures set, unable to be adjusted. If the weather is hot and humid, the water temperature is the same as if there's snow on the ground. It's a miserable way to shower in the heat. 

Still, a quick shower washes off the first wave of sweating for the day. It'll probably be a two shower day. Within a few hours, the heat of the day will have me sweating through my shirt as I lay in front of my small, 6" fan, just trying to keep from overheating. It makes me wonder how prisoners in states like Texas and Florida manage. I wonder if they have air conditioning? How else do they survive the heat? 

When the temperature is high enough, prison administrators issue a heat advisory. That means prisoners are not allowed to work out, including running. It's strange to me that an administrator should need to tell someone it's dangerous to work out when the heat is high enough, but some people don't have much sense. 

Normally, I'd be longing for the coolness of the evening, when the sun goes down and cool air provides a little refreshing breeze through the windows. Tonight, though, it's supposed to still be grossly muggy. I guess I'll just get used to being sluggish and sweaty for the next few days. 

Michigan's Supreme Court Extends Restriction on Life Sentence to 18 Year Old Offender

 Back in 2012 the United States Supreme Court, in Miller v. Alabama, decided that juvenile offenders could not face mandatory life in prison sentences. They did not prohibit a life sentence entirely, but their decision made it more difficult for states to sentence juvenile offenders to life in prison. Even so, some of Michigan's juvenile lifers have STILL not been resentenced, something I find appalling. Apparently a US Supreme Court decision does not hold the same weight I thought it did. 

Still, since the Miller decision, some youthful offenders (18-25 years old) have been using the Miller argument to argue that they, too, should not face mandatory life sentences. The science used in Miller states that juvenile brains are not fully matured until around age 25; therefore, a juvenile's level of culpability is reduced. Juveniles do not fully understand the ramifications for their actions because their brains, especially their prefrontal cortex where decision making occurs, is not fully developed. 

This past week, the Michigan Supreme Court extended the Miller decision to include 18 year old offenders. Technically, the case, People v. Parks, included just the 18 year old offender in that case. However, other cases are currently in the courts that are seeking to retroactively extend this decision, and Miller's, to offenders up through 25 years old. 

Regardless of how far the court will extend Miller, I believe Parks is a move in the right direction. Even youthful offenders should be held accountable for their behaviors, especially those that devastate others' lives. However, the courts have always claimed to take "mitigating circumstances" into account in sentencing, except when their hands are tied due to mandatory sentences. Miller, and Parks and its progeny, only make it possible for the courts to consider the youthful, immature brains of the offender when making sentencing decisions. 

This decision, and others that will likely follow, could not come at a more critical juncture in Michigan's incarceration state. Michigan, like many other jurisdictions, continues to suffer extreme staff shortages. Yet, Michigan continues to desperately hold onto failed policies, practices, and statutes. When lawmakers and the courts begin to actually listen to the science, like Miller and Parks have, it'll make room for rehabilitated offenders to leave prison. 

Now, if only Michigan's lawmakers would stop playing political games over good time legislation! Scientific studies support that change too.