Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Inefficiency, indifference, and apathy

The title of this piece sums up the general policies and procedures of the overall system of the department of corrections.  I have written about some examples of this in previous posts, and I'd like to add some more.

I was recently notified that I was to receive a legal call at 9:00 AM in the counselor's office of my building.  So, of course, I had to take the day off work, since I work on another unit.  At about 8:15 AM I noticed that the counselor was not in.  This in itself is not uncommon, so I asked the officers on duty in my run how I was to receive this call.  They suggested I check with a counselor in another building to make arrangements.

So I made the rounds to the other three buildings on my side of the yard - no counselors were in.  I returned and explained to the COs on duty.  They contacted a CO3 on the other side of the yard who said he would handle it.

So I wandered up to the gate between yards.  I waited over 15 minutes and nobody came to unlock the gate.  I noticed a counselor head into one of the buildings on my side, so I went over to explain the situation.  He radioed the co3 (on the other side) and then told me to go back to the gate and he would let me through.  I waited another 10 minutes before a passing cop open the gate for me.

Of course there is another gate to get to his office.  I waited there another 15 minutes.  Another CO passed by and I explained that my call was already past due.  He again radioed the CO3, who came out of his office to unlock the gate.

But here's the real issue.  He then looks at me and asks why I waited until the last minute to come to his office!  I really wanted to punch and in the nose!  I kept my cool, thanks to my Buddhist practice.  As it turned out, I missed the call - but miraculously the attorney called back.

This practice of blaming the inmate for the ineffectiveness of staff is ever so common.

Another brilliant example of the department of confusion has to do with the bus ride to the SMU unit where I work.  Every day there are two buses that take employees to SMU.  And every day there is some problem with something.  Paperwork missing, copies not made, workers not on the list, extra people on the bus, not enough people on the bus, or something else.  It often takes up to an hour to go the 1 mile to the SMU unit.

And that's just once we get on the bus.  The bus itself is supposed to arrive around 7:00 AM, however that time actually ranges from 6:30 AM to 9:45 AM.  We are not notified when the bus will arrive, but are expected to be there when it does.  Every worker has a radio, but somehow they are unable (or unwilling) to convey such information.

The primary attitude is that we are a bunch of lying, cheating, immoral, monstrous, evil criminals, so why bother to worry about efficiency.  This is certainly not true of every employee, but it's the general principle guiding procedures.  I acknowledge that security is of the essence in an environment like this, but when something is done multiple times every day, the process should become routine.  The only thing routine here is inconsistency.

Similar inconsistencies abound in the process of returning to our "home" from work.  Some days we get stripped once, sometimes twice, once it was three times, and - rarely - not at all.  And the strip-outs themselves range from, "drop the oranges (pants) and shake out the whites (boxers)" to taking off everything, nuts squeezed, bending over, spreading our cheeks and coughing.

One never knows what the procedure will be, yet the officers will consistently say "you know the drill." What?  Which one?  It's different every day!  Then they will berate as for not knowing the "routine".  "How long have you been doing this?" Is a common question, spoken like we are idiots for not knowing what is expected.

My final example of the day is less of ineffectiveness than it is structured nonsense.  When we arrive on the yard, we are issued one pair of pants, three T shirts, three pairs of boxer shorts, two pairs of socks, and some "lame-o" deck shoes for clothing.  OK, so far so good.  Laundry is to be turned in once a week, and we get it back the next day.  Okay fine.

Then it is against policy to do any laundry in the run, it's not allowed.  Yet many of the inmates here have no money at all, so have no other clothing than what is issued.  Two pairs of socks to last a week, and what about one pair of pants?  How can it be cleaned?

In truth even the indigent inmates will eventually get extra clothing one way or another.  The socks that are sold through the store become holier than the Pope in a month (they are not of the best quality).  The reason I bring up socks is that I got "scolded" the other day for having socks hanging to dry in my area.  I have only three pairs that do not look like Swiss cheese.  Now, I do have a job, so I can buy socks from the store.  Three hours of work for one pair of socks.  And I did...  More than one month ago!  But I have yet to receive them and, as the "property office" is never open when I am not at work.  I could take a day off in which I would miss out on $3.20 pay.  And while it may not seem like much, it would be another 2 1/2 pairs of socks!

Again to be fair, most of the officers never say anything about laundry, unless a captain, sergeant, or warden is in the vicinity, but some seem to revel in bitching, writing tickets, and finding anything they can to cause us suffering.

I often wonder if all this is apathy, ignorance, or a calculated effort to keep us off balance in everything that we do.  I suppose it's probably all of the above: whatever the reason, it successfully keeps us frustrated and confused.

1 comment:

  1. Mind games intended to frustrate and confuse, as well as to incite you to anger and therefore justify further punishment and denial of privileges. Unfortunately, similar strategies are played out in offices and homes. And the hard thing is, the cooler you play it with people trying to manipulate you, the harder they will try. I pray and meditate for you, that you'll continue to have the strength not to give people the one thing they cannot take from you -- your dignity. Hang in there.

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