work with only a few inmates distributing food items to all of the other inmates in the institution. No tools are involved or accessible.
You are protected from the inmates coming down for canteen by a wall with windows in it and there is only enough room under the windows to slide their canteen items through. The glass must be very sturdy, because after 100 years, I never saw even a crack in any of those panels. There is another officer there with you.
This is also where supplies were delivered for the cell blocks. We had to go to this area and get them from him.
There are several other officers just through a doorway handling inmate’s property that is being shipped back and forth between different institutions. They also handle inmate’s special orders like shoes, televisions, books, etc.
Many officers in Stillwater were upset that an officer from another institution could come over here and get a prime job, as if they could’ve all received that job anyway.
Officer Fracture was very different from day to day. I assumed it was depending on the physical repercussions from being beaten bloody. Sometimes he was a total jackass and other times he was the nicest most cooperative person you would ever meet. When he was a jackass, I felt that I could see pain in his face. When you get beaten like that, you are never the same physically or mentally, especially when you get your head caved in by a metal object.
I know. I had my skull caved in by a metal pipe, only not by an assault in prison. The skull actually caves in. You can feel the shape of the pipe indented in your skull. I don’t know if all skulls return to form, but mine did, mostly anyway. I don’t know if swelling of the brain does it or what, but I was glad I didn’t have to walk around with that divot in my head.
Another thing that Officer Fracture was upset about was how the assault affected his retirement. He should’ve been able to retire around the same time as me. He told me he had to use up all of his sick time due to the assault. He said that Workman’s Comp didn’t cover the whole thing. Because he was out so long, he was out without pay for some time. He did not get credit for that time toward his retirement. He had to work longer because of that. You damn near get killed on the job and the state won’t cover your ass, especially when you will be putting up with this injury until you die and might even die sooner because of it; what’s with that crap?
People are sitting out there getting government assistance because they are lazy good for nothing scum that know how to work the system and the state won’t back this guy up that has put his life on the line, what’s with that?
POWER OF RESPECT
Sometimes officers just shouldn’t be here. Sgt. Respect was a very good respected sergeant. He had diabetes and other complications. He was extremely close to retiring. His health was drastically reclining. I could see him across the hall from my cell block when he was working the door post in his cell block.
He could barely walk. He seemed dazed; like he was in another world. He looked like a zombie the way he shuffled around and not seeming to know what was going on.
One day his wife had to be called to pick him up because he didn’t know where he was or what was going on.
Because he was so well respected, everyone, even the inmates, covered for him to help him make it to retirement. At times, I would see inmates open the door for him. They wouldn’t take the key and turn it for him, but they would help him up, get him close to the door and get him to turn the key. They would then open the door and go where they were assigned. At times he would just stand there until someone came along and closed the door for him.
He just barely made it to retirement. I never heard what went on with him after that.
It was sad to see him deteriorate in front of my eyes, but it was enlightening to see even the inmates helping him out and not creating problems when he was around; out of respect to how he had treated people before his health got so bad.
MANY GOOD ONES LEAVE
Only three inmates are allowed to be in a cell at one time. An officer found four in a cell eating their lunch. She said, “It’s against regulations for four of you to be in one cell at one time.”
Number One and Two had a problem with this.
“We do this all the time. It ain’t no big deal.”
“Not when I’m working. You know that four people in a cell is wrong.”
One said, “That’s bullshit.”
Two said, “Yeah, whatever.”
“All of you need to leave this cell.”
There was no response.
Four's name was on the door, so she said, “Who is Four.”
“I am.”
“I’m serious. You all need to leave this cell.”
Three got up and left with his food.
Two got up, stood outside the cell next to the officer and said, “She don’t know her job. You don’t need to listen to her. She’s new. She don’t know what she’s doin’.”
One kept saying, “Bullshit. I don’t need to leave.”
If inmates feel that they have a problem with an officer, they can complaint to the sergeant. Until then, follow orders no matter what.
I saw she was having a problem and went to assist. When I stepped over, they all quieted down. She ICR’ed One and Two for disobeying and being disorderly.
The problem was that she did not have to have all of them leave the cell. If one stepped out, she would’ve been doing her job and not had any hassle. She put them in a position for all of them to be against her. The policy was made to keep inmates from teaming up against each other, assaulting someone or being up to no good. These guys were just chilling out eating their chow.
She was a new officer and had a lot to learn, as we all do when we start. I remembered her from her being a student in the class I instructed during the academy. She was intelligent and would’ve risen up the ranks quickly.
She was very friendly and smiling all of the time; that was her biggest problem. When she was giving directives, she was smiling. This confused the inmates. Being disciplined by someone that is smiling made it seem to them that she was joking with them. At least that’s what they wanted to believe.
She had the balls to do her job, and that’s more than I can say about some of the people that were hired. Here she was standing her ground, alone, on the top gallery against four convicts. That takes guts. That’s the kind of officer this place needs. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay around very long.
TOWERS
MAXIMUM SECURITY
Stillwater prison has seven towers where officers can be posted all along the top of the wall. The officer in each tower can easily see the officers in at least two other towers. Each officer is armed with different types of rifles and plenty of ammunition for each rifle. The entire time I was at the prison, I never heard of anyone
