Sign language

Here in prison, there are going to be times when you’re unable to talk. For instance, if you’re in class or walking in line, whatever. Another form of communication that I’m working on learning during times like that is sign language. It’s not complete sign language, but just the letters of the alphabet, but that could still come in handy for me.

So far, I’ve learned the alphabet. I’m just working on being able to sign and read sign language at a reasonable pace. Right now I’m still getting certain letters confused with one another. I say give me another month at the most and I’ll have the hang of it.

I think when I get out of prison I might take a class to learn how to do more than just the alphabet. I never thought sign language could be fun, but it is.

Photo: American Sign Language alphabet. (Click photo to enlarge.)

A long week

I’ve now been at Lancaster exactly a week. Now I know that’s not long, but it feels like I’ve been here a month. My whole body hurts from having to PT every day and marching.

The march to chow alone is about ¼ mile there and another ¼ mile back. Plus I have HUGE holes in my shoes. I might as well be marching barefoot.

On top of that we PT every day. Depending on how people in our dorm act, depends on how much we PT. Since most of the people in here have that ‘I don’t care’ attitude, we do a lot of PT.

It’s kinda funny though because the CO will tell everybody to shut up and stop talking and not more than two seconds later, people are talking again.

Also another thing I noticed. The same people that in my dorm tell everyone to be quiet are the main ones that talk. I still haven’t figured that out.

Well, only one more week to go. Hopefully!

Orientation

Orientation here at Lancaster is physically and mentally exhausting. We wake up at 5 a.m. every morning. We get up and make our beds. There can’t be any wrinkles in the sheets or blankets. There must be an eight-inch fold at the head of the bed and at all corners of the blankets you have to have a perfect 45-degree angle.

After we make our beds, we shave and brush our teeth. Then we line up and go to breakfast. On our way to breakfast (or any other meal), we have to march in step and sound off. It’s a pain! That’s why our shoes only last a week through this two-week orientation.

After breakfast, we come back and sit quietly on the floor until the first count time. When count time comes, we all have to get up and run to the wall and quickly line up in four rows facing the wall. During this count, shift change also occurs. After count time, we go outside and PT (physical training) for about 45 minutes. It’s not so bad right now since it’s starting to get cold outside.

After PT, we go back inside and sit on the floor all morning without talking until lunch. When lunch time comes, we march just like we did at breakfast. When we come back from lunch, we go right back to sitting on the floor.

For the rest of the day, up until lights out at 9:30 p.m., all we really do is sit on the floor. The only thing that even happens in the day is about 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m., the CO will give you a clean set of blues (uniforms) and pass out mail. Also right before lights out, we get to take showers. So for the first two weeks, you can’t do anything and it’s so boring, but after being in the box [in Brevard] where I couldn’t do anything if I wanted to, this should be easy or at least easier.

My permanent camp

Yesterday on November 18th, I was transferred to Lancaster Correctional Institution. This is the fourth prison I’ve been to. Out of these four, two of them have been Reception Centers, and now I’m at my second main camp.

For my first two weeks here I have to go through a two-week orientation. Two weeks isn’t long, but it’s horrible.

For most of my first day, I stood up on my feet and was forced to do PT (physical training). They had us outside in a sandpit running laps, doing push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and six-inch killers which were the worst.

It wasn’t so bad for the first hour, but it must have kept going for at least another hour and a half. At least two and a half hours altogether.

All I’m trying to focus on right now is finishing this orientation and then I’m eligible to go straight to the work camp across the street. From what I’m told, I’ll be going straight there. I sure hope so. All this PT is killing me.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention the best part. Right before we started to do PT, the CO told us that if we spit or throw up in the sand pit, we would have to pick it up with our hands and put it in our pocket. It’s a disgusting thought, but I have to be honest – I kinda wanted to see someone have to put vomit in their pocket, but nobody had to.

Photo: Entrance to Lancaster C.I.