Letter Home
SDCCD-Fiction
Page 1
SDCCD (City) 1st Place Fiction
Letter Home by Lisa Overton
Dear Mom,
I don’t know whats harder to get these letters from me bean in this place or better if I don’t rite at all. I know it brakes your hart I’m here. Beleave me Mom it brakes my hart to.
I hate to ast you for money Mom cause I know how hard you have it but we have to buy everthing like soap and snacks and even the paper and stamps to mail this letter. and it costs more than it does on the outside but theres no other way to get this kind of stuff If you want to give me any money you have to go throgh the COs and put the money on my books.
You ast me in your letter to tell you what its like in here and what I do all day. You ast if I’m making any frinds. I’m going to tell you the best I can, and I hope you understand that. I guess I’ll be ok no matter what. Its not too nice here but I guess I had it coming. You always tole me to stay in school and make something of myself like Johnny but I never wanted to listen to you. I know if I didnt get high they woulntve kicked me out of school but thats what I did so don’t be blaming yourself Mom for what happens to my sorry ass.
one good thing is that me and Jimmy both got sent to the same joint. I know you blame him for me getting in truble but truth is we both robbed that store together so here we sit the both of us. I know you said the lawyer said it costs about $10,000 to begin an appeal and I know we don’t have that kind of money. so it looks like this is home for maybe 7 years if they give me time off for good behavur. Im gonna try real hard to stay out of truble here and do what I can so I dont have to come back.
1 thing I see about prison is everybody hear has a differant experence. Even two guys in the same cell have it differant. what they do hear is seperate people according to race Blacks with Blacks whites together and mexicans with mexicans. the other guys hear tole me this is to stop fights. so there are rules about how we can get along with the other races.
You can’t smoke after another race or get food from them or sit at their tables. so mostly I try to hang out with the whites like me and stay low so I don’t get into trouble. the biggest thing about prison life is that its boring. we hang in the yard or play cards or watch TV (when its works but mostly theres not nothing to do. I did sign up on a list to get school but they tole me the waiting list has 1000’s of names on it.
Another guy tole me about the voc rehab they call it joke rehab. the equipment they train you on is from about 1980—ha ha its older than me. so even if somebudy can get into the program the training is of no use on the outside.
theres another program thats supposed to be real good that trains guys to be firemen. I thoght that would be great to be a firemen. the cons get paid and everything. but then a guy hear tole me that there aint no fire dept in this state that would hire an ex-con, no matter what kind of training he has. ain’t that sum shit?
We do jobs inside the prison, like kitchen, laundry, and tier tenders or dorm porters. I got put in the laundry. Its hot and heavy but I am getting some mussels. Then theres other jobs outside. they have a lot of laber, who get low pay or no pay, but theres no point to work hard cause they put too many guys on the crews. most the work is just busy work. Raking dirt, picking up trash, sorting garbage, that type of thing. Hard, dirty jobs.
After I got my job, other guys hear taught me to settle into what they call a program. They say not to use a calander and try to make each day like any other day. Make myself a skedule. After work, work out every day, walk the track, write letters, watch TV, and do the same the next day. this way days pass easier they say.
I know on TV and movies it shows alot of bad stuff that gos on hear. On TV they show a lot of vilence and riots and things. Its true about the fights and the vialence but it is the boredom and bean lonely and watching your back all the time. Somebudy always watching my ass and looking at my johnson. Always rules to follow and got to watch what I say.
COs treat us like were stupid or animals and I have to say that I think alot of guys in hear are. Its was hard at first to get use to have someone tell us when to eat and when to sleep and when to get up and what to wear. All the little things I got are privleges and that means they can be taken away. I learned real quick that I best do what they say or else they think your a truble maker and then they have it in for you.
Its all about respect in hear. your supposed to mine your own dam busness. your supposed to keep your word. there is a hirearchy of cons. Basicaly the system tries to seperate us by type of crime and also seperate us by where were from. Alot of these guys are gang members and I just try to stay far away from them.
We spend most our free time out on the yard. Theres lots of rules there too. One rule is we can’t congregate in groups of more then 5. Guys like to shoot hoops or do pushups. Of course out there the races stay together too. One day there was a fight. everything was going along fine, then all hell braked loose. Alarms went off,CO's were running. When alarms goes off, your supposed to hit the ground. If you stay standing yule be taken down. Theres guards in towers high up on the walls and they have automatic guns that they shoot guys with. They have it painted in big red letters on the walls, "NO WARNING SHOTS WILL BE FIRED!!" and they aint shitting. Most guys who start truble don't care. Because of the code, they have to take care of their busness, even though they hip to whats going to happen. Fights & stabbings happen over disrespect, money owed, stealing, betting and arguments, and stuff like that.
You ast about the 3 strikes law, and how many guys are in hear for that, why they keep coming back hear? and what about when I get out, what will I do. I been talking to alot of the guys to learn all I can about it. I found out for 3 strikes, they can even count stuff a guy did as a juvie for 1 of the counts. They can be from any state or even federal. Any conviction counts. another thing is they count all charges a guy has. Each charge is counted not each case. So if you pleed guilty to three burglaries on 1 case, you could have 3 strikes, even if you only had 1 sentince, and it was all together in the same case. Any time a guy has a charge that can be charged as misdemeanor or felony, it can get charged as a felony. Like petty theft or shoplifting or simple drug possesion. for 3 strikes it has to be felony counts but for the 3rd count it dont have to be a serious or vialent felony. so basicaly a guy could steal 3 cars and be in hear for 25 to life.
Another thing hear is that alot of these guys are in for vialations. This means they got out on parole but then they got sent back for something stupid. theres so many parole rules it is easy to get vialated. For example sometimes a parolee is not aloud to be with other parolees or ex cons. Even if its your own brother. There not even supposed to get a traffic ticket, that could send them back hear. this one guy had a designation as a sex offender, he said when he was 18 he was charged with statutery rape for having sex with his girlfriend who was almost 17. anyway, he was in a sober living house and the PO come and did a sweep search they found pornos in another guys room so they took this guy back to hear to finish his sentince. He said he been doing good he had a job and was clean too. Another guy got sent back for not telling his PO that he moved.
about visiting. theres no sence in trying to visit hear. I know it takes hours on the bus and then you get searched and wait and wait just to get to see me. last weekend there was some kind of problem and we got put on lockdown. A guy I know Freddy said his girlfreind came all the way from LA on the bus and then they wouldnt let anyone visit cause of the lockdown. Its not worth it Mom I dont want you to have to go throgh it. and if you want to send me packages you have to go thrugh the special vendors. we can get TVs or music players but they all have to be in see-throgh cases thats why they have the vendors. the guys hear say the vendors all give kickback to the state but you can buy me stuff if you want just look online for all the rules.
1 thing I hate is all the noise. People always yelling laughing and crying. All the gards have keys and I hate that sound it rases the hair on my neck everytime I here it. the echo of clanging banging hammering steel never stops. The noise of the steel walls steel doors, steel pots, and steel pans steel trays, steel silver ware the steel benches and the steel tables. And if its not made of steel its made of ceement. so the noise realy echos. The noise gets into my head and makes echos when I sleep.
A guy hear his names Joey just like mine he say not to loose hope because thats what kills guys. Joey say just to hang in there and get throgh each day and 1 day I will find myself at the end of my time. you ast what I will do when I get out but I dont want to think about it now. Joey say its real hard to get a job as an ex con.
thats why alot end up back. they cant make it on the outside, even after they paid there debt to socieity nobudy wants to hire them. so they try to make a big score, something to get them throgh Or they get prison life in there soul and they dont know how to live unless someone is on there back telling them what to do every minute like in hear. I’m just glad I’m not a sex offender. Joey say those guys cant even find a place to live cause no one wants them in there neghborhood.
Well mom, in my own sorry way I do love you and I am very sad to hurt you like this, me bean hear. I know you wanted a son you culd be proud of and I know I’m not the one. At lest you got Johnny you culd show off to the world. I hope you rite back again cause I sure do like getting your letters. Tell me whats happening in the neghborhood and say hi to Mr. Fitz for me tell him he shud be getting a letter from me soon.
Your son,
Joey
______
Dear Mom,
It feels strange to write a letter to you because we see each other on Facebook practically every day. But I know how much you love getting letters from me! Everything’s going great. All my professors love me and I am getting As in my classes. I have a new girlfriend, Hayley, she is awesome, and Mom, you will love her. I will probably bring her home at break so you can meet her. She might be the one.
I love that you’re on Facebook and Skype so we can keep in touch. So there’s no need to make this a long letter since you know most of what’s taking place in my life. Besides, I want to get a letter off to Joey.
I love you Mom,
Your son,
John