Time spent incarcerated can go by sluggishly slow or seemingly quick. This is determined by your day-to-day routines. When I came to prison, I was 20, therefore my age combined with my charge – first degree murder – meant my incarcerated journey had to begin at a closed/maxed custody level facility. These facilities are the most dangerous amongst the others – medium, long-term minimum, and camp – and the strictest.
In closed/maxed custody levels you can expect to be stuck in a cell for 20 – 23 hours a day. As you can imagine my time spent in closed custody – Clallam Bay Corrections Center – from 2016 to 2020 was very monotonous, at best. As for the other custody levels, you’re out of your cell pretty much all day! it’s a more positive atmosphere and far less chaotic. I’m currently at Stafford Creek, it’s a long-term minimum facility, and since being here I have spent my time bettering myself – pursuing higher education, working out, doing all things business related, like blogging.
My day usually begins around 7am, that’s when they begin calling the 7 livings units over to the chow hall for breakfast, which last for about 2 hours. At 9am normal facility operations open up, this is when people head off to work, school, medical/dental appointments, yard, gym, religious services, etc. People are coming and going to such places and activities up until 11:30am – lunch. Lunch runs faster than breakfast as the workers eat in their own chow hall, so it ends at 12:30pm. Prison operations begin again and last until 3:30pm, this is when they do a facility wide count – this is to ensure everyone is accounted for and present. Count can last up to 4:30pm, which runs directly into dinner being called.
Dinner takes two hours as all the workers are back and go to dinner with the general population, like at breakfast. After dinner we are out moving about until we have to cell in for the rest of the night, this happens at 10:45pm. Sounds pretty straightforward right? That’s the problem! It is so boring and monotonous! your time can undoubtedly become torturous even! In prison there’s a saying: “Do your time, don’t let the time do you.” this is to be understood as do something, anything, with your time. If you sit around all day and do nothing then your time can begin to have bad effects on your emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. What’s worse is that sitting around will not prepare you for your release, increasing the odds of your recidivism.
I know I will be released someday, but I plan as if that day is tomorrow or next week. In doing so I must be honest and admit I’m not ready for release. Where would I go? where would I live? I don’t have answers to simple questions such as these and that scares me. I realized long ago that I couldn’t sit by and watch time pass, I needed to get moving. I started this company, began investing, and got a college degree all to provide myself with the best possible chance at successful reintegration when I get the call to rejoin the rest of the world. In doing so my time passes way too quickly! I can’t find enough hours in a day to get all the things I need and want accomplished … a good problem to have I suppose.
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