Yesterday I was summoned to the prison's ID office. I had to pose for an updated identification photo after my current ID card was misappropriated by someone while I was in the "West" recreation yard...
It happened last week. And as is the procedure, when an inmate goes to one of the outdoor recreation areas, he's required to turn in his ID card to the officer who's stationed inside that particular area's main guard booth. This booth is a small shed-like structure, similar to a tiny bungalow. It has windows which overlook the entire yard. So from here a guard could see across the yard for any signs of trouble. Also, a part of his job is to hold all of the identification cards for the men who are in his sector. This helps the officer to keep track of which inmates are present at any given time. Then, when it's time for the yard to close, the officer must return each card to the one it belongs to.
Well, shortly before the yard was to close for the afternoon, when I went to retrieve my ID card, it could not be found. The guard on duty looked all over the booth for it, but the card had vanished. Hence I was required, in accordance with the rules, to report it missing, which I did.
Then, the following week, on April 22, after I took a new mugshot-type photo which was needed to obtain a replacement ID, the officer in the ID Office said I had to pay a five dollar fine. So I politely explained to him that this only applies when an inmate loses his card as a result of his own carelessness. Mine, I said, had disappeared while in the possession of the yard officer. But in a scolding tone of voice he insisted that I fill out what's called a "disbursement" form. It's a form which allows for five dollars to be deducted from my commissary account. The money then gets transferred into the prison's "general fund" for the facility's use.
Again, however, I attempted to explain to the ID officer that I did not lose my card. That, somehow, perhaps when the guard in the booth was distracted by something, another inmate saw my card and quickly reached in and grabbed it. Obviously to me, he was hoping to snatch a souvenir for himself, or maybe he'd send it to a friend to try and sell on eBay. It's happened before. Yet the ID officer refused to listen to me. Impatiently, he tossed the disbursement form in front of me and ordered me to sign it "now." I complied.
In this environment one has to choose his battles wisely. I could grieve this matter and make an official complaint. Plus I am definitely in the right because it was the officer's responsibility to secure the ID cards that were in his possession. But the yard was crowded. And there are also thieves in prison. There's also corruption. In here there's a saying that the guards are "always right" and the inmates are "always wrong." In other words, even when I'm right, I am wrong. So I was facing a losing situation. I therefore paid the five bucks for my replacement card. End of story!
D.B.
Well, shortly before the yard was to close for the afternoon, when I went to retrieve my ID card, it could not be found. The guard on duty looked all over the booth for it, but the card had vanished. Hence I was required, in accordance with the rules, to report it missing, which I did.
Then, the following week, on April 22, after I took a new mugshot-type photo which was needed to obtain a replacement ID, the officer in the ID Office said I had to pay a five dollar fine. So I politely explained to him that this only applies when an inmate loses his card as a result of his own carelessness. Mine, I said, had disappeared while in the possession of the yard officer. But in a scolding tone of voice he insisted that I fill out what's called a "disbursement" form. It's a form which allows for five dollars to be deducted from my commissary account. The money then gets transferred into the prison's "general fund" for the facility's use.
Again, however, I attempted to explain to the ID officer that I did not lose my card. That, somehow, perhaps when the guard in the booth was distracted by something, another inmate saw my card and quickly reached in and grabbed it. Obviously to me, he was hoping to snatch a souvenir for himself, or maybe he'd send it to a friend to try and sell on eBay. It's happened before. Yet the ID officer refused to listen to me. Impatiently, he tossed the disbursement form in front of me and ordered me to sign it "now." I complied.
In this environment one has to choose his battles wisely. I could grieve this matter and make an official complaint. Plus I am definitely in the right because it was the officer's responsibility to secure the ID cards that were in his possession. But the yard was crowded. And there are also thieves in prison. There's also corruption. In here there's a saying that the guards are "always right" and the inmates are "always wrong." In other words, even when I'm right, I am wrong. So I was facing a losing situation. I therefore paid the five bucks for my replacement card. End of story!
D.B.
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