Prison Life

Hi My Sweet Family & Friends,

      So, Sandie sent me a copy of my blog last week, which was nice because I've totally forgotten everything I've written you.  I was surprised at how much I've neglected to tell you- probably because I write you mental letters all the time, but ummm... you can't mail those!  Wow, I fail.  I think it's because to paint you an accurate picture of this place seems like an outrageously huge task, so I just write about the other stuff, and leave all the prison stuff out.  (I mean, the God stuff is just the way more happy & exciting!)  But I've had a lot of people ask, and I've come to realize that giving an accurate picture of the only Women's Prison in Arizona is important, too.  After all, orange is not the new black, and this is no Federal Prison.  

     My friend, April is taking English 101 right now and is currently working on an evaluation essay. Her evaluation:  Perryville.  So, I've decided, in order to make this more manageable for me, keep me focused and on track (thus making it easier to read for you), I will write this in installments based on her outline.  :) Today's topic:  Housing.  Here goes.

      When you arrive at Perryville, you are taken to R&A (can't remember what it stands for). Depending on how crowded it is, there are 2-3 women per 8'x 12' cell.  Your custody level is determined at that point and you are assigned to either a minimum, medium, or maximum custody unit. Currently at Perryville, there is one max unit (Lumley) which houses the max custody inmates, death row, suicide watch, and the central detention unit.  This is also where R&A is.  There are two medium custody units- Santa Maria and Santa Cruz (I am currently on Cruz).  The other four units are minimum custody- San Pedro (the medical unit), Santa Rosa, Piestiwa, and San Carlos.  Aside from my time on Lumley in R&A, I have only been on Cruz.  I cannot speak about what it is like on the minimum units because I've never been there, but our housing is the same on Cruz as it is on Lumley and Maria, but Maria is smaller, having only 2 yards instead of 4.  When entering the V-gate (vehicle gate) on Cruz, you are greeted by a giant dirt field (about 2 football fields in length) with a dirt track surrounding it. Across the field you will see four yards, each fenced in: 14 yard, 16 yard, 18 yard, and 20 yard.  I live on 20 yard.  Each yard has four two-story pods.  Each pod can house 48 girls, so when a yard is at capacity it can house 192 girls.  There have been times when the prison was so overcrowded that they were housing girls in 10 packs in side rooms and they also housed girls in 20 &14 kitchens. Thankfully, it hasn't been like that since I've been here.  The pods are L-shaped with showers at either end, 6 showers per pod.  They are all nasty and moldy.  I thought shower shoes were a must in college; I had NO idea how gross a shower could be!  Twice now, somebody pooped in there!!  Who does that?!? I said, "Well, they have our DNA on file- I can't think of a better time to use it!"  Anyway, back to our rooms- They are 8'x12' cells (I just measured my room with my 9' comb :)).  Everything is metal or concrete- very industrial chic.  I have the upper bunk that stretches the width of the room, with a little metal desk/cubby at the end.  It is where I am writing this right now!  If is sit up straight, I hit my head on the ceiling.  (But I am a bit taller than your average bear.)  Below my bunk is a built in desk and plastic chair.  The bottom bunk is perpendicular to the top bunk, tucked slightly (they make an L).  At the head of the bottom bunk is a metal half wall with a little shelf big enough to set a soap dish.  It separates our "room" from our "bathroom."  Well, kinda.  The sink is on the other side of the "wall", and a toilet is right next to it.  The large metal door is opposite the top bunk and the wall opposite the bottom bunk houses two metal shelves and small "wardrobe."  This so called wardrobe is really just an 18"x 2.5'x 4' box with no front, bolted to the wall.  It has a bar inside where you could hang things if we were allowed to have hangers.  We use it a counter to cook on, and my shoes live underneath it.  There are two bulletin boards (industrial ceiling tiles painted white) on each side of the room where we can hang up pictures, cards and post cards.  There are two large metal drawers that slide under the bottom bunk, and we are allowed up to four cardboard file boxes to store our things (I have two).  Our floor is concrete and has been painted about 5 different colors, but is currently mostly gray.  Oh, and we each have four wooden peg hooks by the door where we can hang our towel.  There are two windows on each side of the top bunk.  They stretch from the ceiling to the top of the desk- (4 ft maybe?) and there are 4-5" wide.  One of them is supposed to open about an inch or so. We have one window that won't close all the way- so we stuffed it with newspaper and both of our windows have clear trash bags taped over them.  It helps keep the bugs and dust out.  That's it!  I'm super thankful that our room is in pretty good shape.  I am also really thankful that our ceiling doesn't leak, 'cause that happens a lot.  Sometimes our toilet flushes and flushes and won't stop for like 40 minutes or until the neighbor flushes theirs, but it hasn't done that in a couple of months. Yay!  We have a swamp cooler, but no AC.  It works pretty good most months, but doesn't help much from July to the end of September/middle of October.  During those months our rooms stay between 90-95 degrees.  I call it our hot yoga studio :)

     That's pretty much it about housing, and I don't know how long this will be typed up, but I'm already at the end of page 5.  I'll wrap up this installment with what I was reminded of this week:  Deuteronomy 8:2- "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart..."  I will be forever thankful that my time spent in the wilderness is a mere 28 months and not 40 years.  If there is one thing prison is good at, it's humbling a person.  I needed the humbling.  And perhaps God needed to know what was in my heart, but what I've come to know for sure, is that I needed to know what was in my heart.  And I shall remember the whole way that the Lord my God has led me, and continues to lead me.  13.5 months left.

                                                             Love from Fat Camp,

                                                                     Missy

P.S.  

Jenn & Jacqueline, my faithful writers- thank you.  You have no idea how much you encourage me.  

Cherlyn & Paul- Thank you for my new music! It's wonderful. :) 

Tammy & Megan & my sweet Trudy- I know you are walking through your own wilderness. I love you, you are constantly on my heart and I’m praying for you.  Don't grow weary, dear friends. 

Beth, your painting are beautiful!  

Mary Beth- Hi & congratulations! 

Kaci- We're never gonna cry over spilled milk! :) 

     It's so good to hear from all of you!  With every letter, I am reminded of how good God has been to me throughout the years.  I have been and continue to be surrounded by the greatest cloud of witnesses to have ever walked the earth.  

Davey, Grandma & Grandpa Dalton- You are molding my boys, our boys, in to the greatest of men.  I know I don't tell you enough, but I think it all the time; Thank you - for picking up the pieces and keeping their hearts from being broken, for the sacrifices you make for them on a daily basis, for leading and guiding them in Truth.  I am eternally grateful.  I love you, more than words can say.  K- bye for real. I'll write again soon. XOXOXO