Prison Journal: Day 7,998

July 3, 2009

When I woke at 3:05 this morning, I had writing on my mind. I wanted to work my way through a specific section of my early adjustment. It describes a job I had working as a clerk in a prison factory while I was in the penitentiary. A very nice woman supervised me, and because of her kindness, I was able to make real progress toward goals I was setting.

Today being a Friday, I knew that I would only have the early morning session available for creative writing. By 6:00 AM, I completed through page 129 of my manuscript, then went outside to exercise. I only ran four miles, and followed with 200 pushups, because my wife, Carole was coming to visit. I wrestled with the idea of calling to suggest that she drive up a little later than usual, as I suspected we might face a crowded visiting room.

Fridays, usually, are the best days to visit at Taft Camp because they are the least crowded days. Besides the quiet, if we limit our visits to Friday, Carole and I can see each other at least once each week. Prisoners who choose to visit on Saturdays or Sundays must skip a few weeks of visiting each month.

Today had special significance because tomorrow, Saturday, is America’s Independence Day. I should have known that with many families planning festivities for the holiday, the visiting room at Taft Camp would have been packed today. I thought about it, but I did not act on my thoughts, and because I did not call Carole to suggest she delay her visit by an hour, I suffered.

Carole arrived at 8:20, making her the seventh person to arrive in the visiting room. Soon after we sat together, crowds of people began to show up. My stomach felt a little jittery as I watched people checking in; I knew that if too many came, gaurds would terminate the visits of those who arrived first and, sure enough, we were notified at 11:10 that our visit was being shortened because of overcrowding. I was able to spend fewer than three hours with my wife this week.

After the visit, I returned to my housing unit and read. Creativity necessary for writing would not have come. Every second that I lose with my wife hurts, especially at this stage of my confinement. I’m looking forward to visiting next Friday, but many hours must pass before then.

My running tally after this morning’s exercise is at 1,790 miles over the past 203 days of consecutive running.

Related posts:

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  5. Prison Journal: Day 7,907

Posted by joshua | Filed Under Prison Journal 

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During his 23+ years of continuous confinement in federal prisons of every security level, Michael Santos has emerged as one of the leading voices on America's prison system and the need for prison reform.Learn more about Michael’s specific efforts, achievements, and contributions.


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