Fifty Third Visit to Taft

I was feeling a little down after my visit with Ron on Friday probably because of the news he got at his team meeting last week. As much as we try to keep our emotions on an even keel, events take place that get us off balance. When he was told his release date might be 7 weeks later than he had originally thought, he felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

Ron is a planner. When he was told last summer that his release would be in early June, Ron started counting the days, weeks and months until June 15. Then all of a sudden he was told his date would be around July 27. All his counting would have to be recalculated. Figuring out the new days, weeks and months gives him something to do, but it is all so uncertain. It keeps us in a state of limbo, no knowing what they're going to tell us next.

Even though our visit was as gratifying as always, Ron was definitely distracted. We usually play cards for awhile, but Ron didn't want to do that. I know he's thinking about the change in date a lot, trying to figure out why, never getting any answers. It's terribly frustrating.

This situation is a perfect example of what Ron says is the hardest part of incarceration. He says "Everything is difficult" in prison. What that means is that everything you do, from shopping in the commissary, to eating a meal, to asking a simple question, is all difficult. Ron might want to know the answer to a simple question, like whether or not the horticulture teacher will be coming tomorrow. He may go ask someone and rather than get the question answered, will be told to come back in a few hours. Maybe this has something to do with time. Time is something the inmates have a lot of, so perhaps those in charge don't see any urgency to getting things done. Six months ago the inmates were told they would have a coffee machine put in the visitors room so that we could all enjoy coffee during visitation. It still isn't there.

Bureaucracy at work. You have no idea. I don't know why everything is so difficult, but to get anything done takes paperwork, paperwork, paperwork and lots of time. There are procedures for everything. If Ron had a long sentence I might feel inclined to get involved and try to initiate change, but I've seen what's happened with others who have tried. The system is so set in its ways that any change comes slowly and in baby steps. I don't have that kind of time.

Very few lawmakers are even the slightest bit interested in streamlining prisons and making them more efficient. Jim Webb is one of the few working for prison reform. After all, prisons are big business. Changes and improvements might eliminate jobs and that's definitely NOT something lawmakers are looking to do.

Sometime in the future I will elaborate on some of these issues, but now is not the time. For now I will just say how difficult it is see problems and not be able to do or say anything. Later I will have something to say.