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Prisonlandia, part 12

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  To Work or Not to Work   Having good health and being able to physically perform tasks is a truly rewarding thing that anyone should be thankful for, however, being compelled to work without benefit and under fear of disciplinary action if refused, can really suck the enjoyment out of a day's good work. In TDCJ, under the current law and policies, you can be forced to work through threats of disciplinary cases or loss of “good-time” which has no real value anyway. Many other states have determined that this “slave” like labor is wrong and have created laws which prohibit it. However, Texas is one of the last holdouts and is taking advantage of the power granted to the States by the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except  as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” In fact, if you read th...
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Prisonlandia, part 11

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  Find Out Who Your Friends Are When I first came into the system, I had no idea what to expect and being an ex-cop made the anxiety even worse. At first, if asked, I would simply tell everyone that I had been in the security field. However, after a while I became comfortable enough at my first unit to start opening up a little bit. Wearing “masks” had proven destructive in the past and I didn’t want that type of life again, plus part of my issues prior to my arrest had to do with the struggle of having lost my identity and sense of purpose, so it was important for me to acknowledge my present identity – an ex-cop who was now an inmate. As I began to open up and share my past with other inmates, I didn’t experience negativity or distancing but instead embracing and curiosity. Many guys shared their stories about how they had once wanted to be a police officer but had made a poor decision early on in life that prevented it. I even gave a Toastmasters* speech where I acknowledged my ...
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Prisonlandia Journal Entry 2

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  This past Thursday my HPD badge was returned to me after approximately seven years. This was an emotional day for me and one that I thought at times would never arrive. It was taken when Webster P.D. served a warrant at my home and they did not realize I was in legal possession of it (this was after I left HPD).  Although the badge itself is a five-dollar piece of metal and has no legal authority anymore, it symbolizes much more on a personal level. This badge symbolizes the hard work that was put in not only in training and preparation but the dedication, discipline, and emotions that were part of wearing it while on duty. This badge symbolizes the decisions that were always made for the right reason and service provided that I will always be proud of. It symbolizes something greater than me and reminds me that despite personal issues that I have suffered through in the past and my public failures that led to its confiscation, when I had this badge on, I was trying to do th...
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Prisonlandia, part 10

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Prisonlandia sometimes reminded me of the George Orwell classic 1984, where all the characters are living completely meaningless and unfulfilling lives in a dystopian society where the only thing that matters is one’s love for and duty to Big Brother (the Government). Even the Prisonlandia “newspaper” is a completely self-serving piece of propaganda utilized to place the system in a positive light. I imagine that North Korea has a very similar publication that it passes out to its citizens.    Guards and Staff   Just like inmates, there are several different types of characters and temperaments that make up the guards and staff within the Prisonlandia. First of all, I want to clarify that I do not and have never, referred to the guards within Prisonlandia as “officers” or “boss man”. To most it's probably not a big deal but for me it boils down to this: an Officer in the military is a rank that requires education and discipline and is not easily obtained. ...
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