My Personal Journal

Things are going better than expected, as we approach the one year countdown. Ron will be released from all supervision on October 8, 2014. He was released from Taft on July 27, 2011, so you might wonder why, with three years of supervised release, he is not finished until October 8. That is because from July 27-October 8 he was in a half way house, and under different supervision. When he finally came home, on October 8, he became the responsibility of the department of probation. In the meantime, Ron has been left pretty much alone, goes about his business, and no one bothers him. The inconvenience is not being able to travel, and having to get permission for any travel out of San Diego County, and frankly, for being accountable to someone for what you spend your money on, how much you work and how much you earn. It's something he's learned to live with, and not complain. Complaining is something he NEVER does. When he hears about this friend going on a wonderful trip, or that someone is off to visit grandchildren, he just listens, but never complains. We have both learned to enjoy the relatively simple life we have, enjoy our small circle of friends, and appreciate what we have and where we live. If health permits, we will have time to travel in the future, to go to Colorado to see our grandchildren, or to LA to see our other grandchildren (and their parents), David and Tracy, and mom, whenever we want. Last month I told you that things from Ron's 19 months at Taft surface occasionally and remind him of that time. There were a number of unwritten rules that every inmate learns quickly and follows completely. Here are some of those rules: 1. First and foremost, were the shower rules. Privacy was of utmost concern. Ron often described the bathroom and shower area as like that of a nice health club. The difference was, that no one ever walked around naked, went to the showers naked, or looked at another man. This was not done. Although they had a row of double showers, only the showers on one side were used. The other side was closed off, so that when you showered you had complete privacy. When leaving the shower, always look down. That was the rule. 2. Respect each person's space. This refers to waiting in line, and not crowding, getting really close to each other. This was of great importance, and to this day, when we're waiting in line for something and people start pushing and getting really close, Ron feels extremely uncomfortable. 3. The TV room. This was where fights, if any occurred, would happen. Control of the TV channels was by seniority, so in the 19 months Ron was there he never chose the program. Thus, he had to endure Swamp People, Jerry Springer and other enlightening shows. The men that had been at Taft the longest controlled the TV's. Seating was also by seniority. Those who were there the longest sat up front. Each inmate brought in their own chair for watching TV and newer inmates sat in the back. There were also two other rooms (other than the main room) for watching. These were called the black room and the brown room. One room was for Hispanic inmates, one was for black inmates. Ron was friendly with everyone, and was often invited to watch TV in the black room. It was by invitation only. I don't know what the Asians, Hawaiians, and Caucasians did. I guess they just used the main room. 4. While sitting at dinner, if you wanted the salt that was across the table or made you reach across someone else, you must ask for someone to pass the salt. The same thing applied to handing something to someone, like a newspaper. If you were obstructing someone else while reaching for it, you would always ask to have it passed to you. Their rules were all about respect. These men have a need to feel respected, as they aren't respected by the people that work in the prison. It's their way of keeping a bit of dignity. Also, seniority is the basis on which you get the best seat in the TV room and the best bunk location. Ron never got a great seat for TV or a great bunk location. Thank goodness he wasn't there long enough to earn that.