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I've had many jobs in many different fields. One of the most stressful was in a prison.
In 1979 I took a job at a central intake prison for men. It was called a Diagnostic Evaluation and Classification Center. A population of about 4,000 inmates were brought there after sentencing. The average length of stay was about 6 weeks. There were new arrivals daily as an equal number were transfered to prisons across the state.
During their 6 week stay at the DECC they were given medical and dental evaluations as well as psychological and physical aptitude evaluations. A determination was made about any medical or dental treatment that was required. A further determination was made about their psychological health as well as their aptitude for different jobs within the prison system. Their prison placement was determined according to those evaluations.
On paper it all sounds so humane and fair but that was far from the case many times. Not every man was lucky enough to avoid the meat grinder of sadistic guards, incompetent medical and dental staff and the violence of everyday prison life.
The prison was divided into 4 cell blocks: A, B, C and D.
"A" block housed those prisoners who were permanently housed at the DECC. You would think those inmates would be the cream of the crop. No such thing. They were there because they had certain skills the DECC required. Many of them were guilty of murder, rape or other violent crimes. They were housed with the non-violent men who were guilty of a marijuana law violation, burglary, failing to pay child support and other non-violent crimes. "A" Block had a capacity for 400 inmates. Each had his own 8x10 cell arranged on 4 tiers. The showers were open and viewable from almost every angle but there were some blind spots.
"B", "C" and "D" Blocks were divided into 6 dormitories with bunk beds. Each dormitory housed 500 inmates but they were often overcrowded to house 600. Every night there were young men cornered and gang raped.
Almost every morning some new guy would show up for 'sick call' with signs of trauma about their face. Their eyes blackened and swollen. Tears running down their faces. Their white jumpsuits would have stains on the seat. It was obvious what had happened. The medical staff - if you want to call them that - would treat their wounds and send the back to the dormitory. The weaker ones didn't put up a fight so we hardly ever saw them unless they were badly damaged and bleeding from their mouth or anus. I don't recall any of them ever filing a report. It they did file a report it would probably have been disregarded.
There was another cell block not attached to the main campus. It did not have a letter designation. It was called Death Row. It was where those who were waiting for their sentence to be carried out were housed. This was where the Death Chamber was. In those days the electric chair was the instrument of choice.
"A" Block was not without it's horrors either. The permanent inmates had some privileges. Later curfews, movie night, more personal possessions and less guard interference. The cell block had a hierarchy of sorts. There were 'War Daddies' who controlled the black market and the punk parties. A lucky punk belonged to just one War Daddy. The rest were open for business to anyone who could afford 2 packs of cigs. On Movie Night there were cell parties. A sheet was draped over the bars to provide some cozy privacy. Only 2 guys allowed in the cell at a time. When one finished another would enter. You never heard any crying or pleading. The guards knew what the sheet on the bars meant. The War Daddies made sure things ran smoothly. They must have bribed the guards with something. I never found out what.
My job at the DECC was in the Aptitude Evaluation office. I administered occupational aptitude tests for educational level and for manual dexterity. I compiled the results and submitted them to the Administration. Every day I dealt with about 30 newly arrived inmates. There were 4 of us doing this job. Each of us had an inmate assistant. They lived in "A" Block. Everyday my assistant would update me on the 'cell block soap opera'.
My office was across the hall from the infirmary. I would see the men lined up for sick call every morning. Some were faking illness to avoid a work detail. Some were actually sick. Some were victims of violence.
On several occasions while I worked there I saw men who had been so severely beaten or stabbed they died. I'll never forget the day one man was wheeled to the infirmary on a gurney with the sheet covering him dotted with blood stains. He had been stabbed several times in the abdomen. Blood dripped onto the floor. It was gruesome.
Rape is wrong. I could never force someone into submission. By comparison the rapes seemed less violent than the beatings and stabbings but it was all like a scene from Caligula or something. It was a meat grinder where young men were ground into animals and victims.
I worked there for 2 years. Then I took a job at a long term care facility specializing in people with Alzheimer's disease.
In 1979 I took a job at a central intake prison for men. It was called a Diagnostic Evaluation and Classification Center. A population of about 4,000 inmates were brought there after sentencing. The average length of stay was about 6 weeks. There were new arrivals daily as an equal number were transfered to prisons across the state.
During their 6 week stay at the DECC they were given medical and dental evaluations as well as psychological and physical aptitude evaluations. A determination was made about any medical or dental treatment that was required. A further determination was made about their psychological health as well as their aptitude for different jobs within the prison system. Their prison placement was determined according to those evaluations.
On paper it all sounds so humane and fair but that was far from the case many times. Not every man was lucky enough to avoid the meat grinder of sadistic guards, incompetent medical and dental staff and the violence of everyday prison life.
The prison was divided into 4 cell blocks: A, B, C and D.
"A" block housed those prisoners who were permanently housed at the DECC. You would think those inmates would be the cream of the crop. No such thing. They were there because they had certain skills the DECC required. Many of them were guilty of murder, rape or other violent crimes. They were housed with the non-violent men who were guilty of a marijuana law violation, burglary, failing to pay child support and other non-violent crimes. "A" Block had a capacity for 400 inmates. Each had his own 8x10 cell arranged on 4 tiers. The showers were open and viewable from almost every angle but there were some blind spots.
"B", "C" and "D" Blocks were divided into 6 dormitories with bunk beds. Each dormitory housed 500 inmates but they were often overcrowded to house 600. Every night there were young men cornered and gang raped.
Almost every morning some new guy would show up for 'sick call' with signs of trauma about their face. Their eyes blackened and swollen. Tears running down their faces. Their white jumpsuits would have stains on the seat. It was obvious what had happened. The medical staff - if you want to call them that - would treat their wounds and send the back to the dormitory. The weaker ones didn't put up a fight so we hardly ever saw them unless they were badly damaged and bleeding from their mouth or anus. I don't recall any of them ever filing a report. It they did file a report it would probably have been disregarded.
There was another cell block not attached to the main campus. It did not have a letter designation. It was called Death Row. It was where those who were waiting for their sentence to be carried out were housed. This was where the Death Chamber was. In those days the electric chair was the instrument of choice.
"A" Block was not without it's horrors either. The permanent inmates had some privileges. Later curfews, movie night, more personal possessions and less guard interference. The cell block had a hierarchy of sorts. There were 'War Daddies' who controlled the black market and the punk parties. A lucky punk belonged to just one War Daddy. The rest were open for business to anyone who could afford 2 packs of cigs. On Movie Night there were cell parties. A sheet was draped over the bars to provide some cozy privacy. Only 2 guys allowed in the cell at a time. When one finished another would enter. You never heard any crying or pleading. The guards knew what the sheet on the bars meant. The War Daddies made sure things ran smoothly. They must have bribed the guards with something. I never found out what.
My job at the DECC was in the Aptitude Evaluation office. I administered occupational aptitude tests for educational level and for manual dexterity. I compiled the results and submitted them to the Administration. Every day I dealt with about 30 newly arrived inmates. There were 4 of us doing this job. Each of us had an inmate assistant. They lived in "A" Block. Everyday my assistant would update me on the 'cell block soap opera'.
My office was across the hall from the infirmary. I would see the men lined up for sick call every morning. Some were faking illness to avoid a work detail. Some were actually sick. Some were victims of violence.
On several occasions while I worked there I saw men who had been so severely beaten or stabbed they died. I'll never forget the day one man was wheeled to the infirmary on a gurney with the sheet covering him dotted with blood stains. He had been stabbed several times in the abdomen. Blood dripped onto the floor. It was gruesome.
Rape is wrong. I could never force someone into submission. By comparison the rapes seemed less violent than the beatings and stabbings but it was all like a scene from Caligula or something. It was a meat grinder where young men were ground into animals and victims.
I worked there for 2 years. Then I took a job at a long term care facility specializing in people with Alzheimer's disease.
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entary I'm sure everyone is familiar with:
