Holidays Can Bring Out the Drama in Prison

In the sixteen plus years I've been incarcerated, holidays in prison have either been notably boring and uneventful, or they have been terribly dramatic. 

One Christmas, for example, some eleven or twelve years ago, two lifers got drunk and attempted to make their way over a couple of razor wire fences. Of course, they were caught, as well as their girlfriends waiting on the other side, and the rest of us were on lockdown for the rest of the day. 

It's been a while since I've seen much drama on a holiday, though. Yeah, some prisoners get drunk, and it can get loud and rowdy, but nothing too major. So, I was a bit surprised (but only a little) to see some drama this past Labor Day. 

Our housing unit was last for lunch, and the prisoners were anxious and a little boisterous. We were having burgers with a slice of cheese, lettuce and tomato, beans, "fries," corn, and a 4 oz Styrofoam cup of ice cream with a piece of cake. It wasn't a bad meal. Of course, they'd run out of "fries" (which are baked, and not very well), so they served us leftover, reheated mashed potatoes. 

I was in the first group from our unit who went to lunch, so I had already eaten some of my meal when the second half was called. Suddenly, a loud shattering sound startled everyone, and the prisoners waiting in line slowly moved away from a broken window. 

Officers responded quickly, trying to ascertain what had happened. Soon, they realized someone had intentionally broken the window. When they attempted to put him in handcuffs, he resisted, and six officers tackled him to the floor. I heard the pop of a taser, and very quickly another pop. The prisoner was finally, with difficulty, subdued, handcuffed, and led out, still resisting. 

Prisoners all over the chow hall were standing up, hooting and hollering, like it was lunch and a show. Unfortunately, one person's really bad day is entertainment for many others in prison. 

I don't know why the guy broke the window, but he's in segregation now. I'm sure he'll be paying restitution for the window (including holiday wages for the maintenance guy called in to fix it), and getting many misconduct tickets for his behavior. He'll likely be sent to a higher security level too. 

Personally, I'd rather have a quiet, boring, uneventful holiday. Maybe next year