Stealing! This is the Number One Worst Thing you can do in prison. Funny, huh? When you think that some of us ended up in here for exactly that offense! But in here stealing from one another gets you outcast status pronto. You can get in an argument, call the other dude’s mom a name, punch him, whatever, and an hour later all is good. But get caught stealing from another Guest? You’re done. Shunned like a leper.
On the other hand, taking what you can from the BOP – no problem. Which, sadly, has become the Captain’s latest point of emphasis. His new rules include no second helpings at meals, no slipping uneaten food back to your cubbie for later (not even a banana or an apple), and no kitchen items like muffins, quesadillas, etc. hitting the Black Market.
From the Captain’s point of view, I’m sure it’s about losing money, repressing criminal thinking and extortion, and so on. What he may not have considered is that we just don’t get enough to eat. Picture grown men subsisting on three school lunches a day, single serve, no extras. Especially those of us who try to stay active for our mental and physical well-being. They say we can always buy food from the commissary, but that’s impractical when you consider that the average library clerk now earns about $9.50/month and a spare shopping list might include 1 box oatmeal/week, 1 bag of healthy nuts/week, maybe 2 protein bars/week and, the only luxury, a bag of instant coffee/week. Add in a bottle of Advil/month for assorted aches and pains and you’ve spent $67.85 in a month. That $9.50 paycheck just doesn’t cover it. A lot of us don’t get money from home. So can you blame us for slipping an apple in a pocket from time to time?
You might say that I’m just rationalizing criminal behavior, but the way I see it, being behind bars is our punishment. We just want to stay as healthy as we can and get home when our time’s up. I’m not advocating for Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, or Panera – just asking not to be hungry all the time! Every day! So, you may be thinking, get a second prison job to make a little more cash. Against the rules! Switch to a higher paying job? Well, on the compound there are about 150 so-called premium jobs, and there are 1,350 of us vying for them. Negotiate your pay? LOL. So we’re in a tough position. Picking up a banana or bag of chips that would end up in the garbage otherwise doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me.
But if you get caught doing so, the punishment is – wait for it – no commissary for 3-6 months. So then you cannot buy any food even if you do have the money! Repeat offenders even end up in the SHU. So, my usual refrain applies – you just have to shake your head, chuckle, and carry on. Would be nice, though, if you could cancel your reservation at this establishment. I hear the Motel 6 always has a light on….
On the other hand, taking what you can from the BOP – no problem. Which, sadly, has become the Captain’s latest point of emphasis. His new rules include no second helpings at meals, no slipping uneaten food back to your cubbie for later (not even a banana or an apple), and no kitchen items like muffins, quesadillas, etc. hitting the Black Market.
From the Captain’s point of view, I’m sure it’s about losing money, repressing criminal thinking and extortion, and so on. What he may not have considered is that we just don’t get enough to eat. Picture grown men subsisting on three school lunches a day, single serve, no extras. Especially those of us who try to stay active for our mental and physical well-being. They say we can always buy food from the commissary, but that’s impractical when you consider that the average library clerk now earns about $9.50/month and a spare shopping list might include 1 box oatmeal/week, 1 bag of healthy nuts/week, maybe 2 protein bars/week and, the only luxury, a bag of instant coffee/week. Add in a bottle of Advil/month for assorted aches and pains and you’ve spent $67.85 in a month. That $9.50 paycheck just doesn’t cover it. A lot of us don’t get money from home. So can you blame us for slipping an apple in a pocket from time to time?
You might say that I’m just rationalizing criminal behavior, but the way I see it, being behind bars is our punishment. We just want to stay as healthy as we can and get home when our time’s up. I’m not advocating for Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, or Panera – just asking not to be hungry all the time! Every day! So, you may be thinking, get a second prison job to make a little more cash. Against the rules! Switch to a higher paying job? Well, on the compound there are about 150 so-called premium jobs, and there are 1,350 of us vying for them. Negotiate your pay? LOL. So we’re in a tough position. Picking up a banana or bag of chips that would end up in the garbage otherwise doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me.
But if you get caught doing so, the punishment is – wait for it – no commissary for 3-6 months. So then you cannot buy any food even if you do have the money! Repeat offenders even end up in the SHU. So, my usual refrain applies – you just have to shake your head, chuckle, and carry on. Would be nice, though, if you could cancel your reservation at this establishment. I hear the Motel 6 always has a light on….
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