No matter how well a correctional facility seems to be managed…
Or no matter how modern a facility may be, these places have the potential for fights and other acts of violence. For there are men living under stress, who sometimes have deep-seated anger, or who may be having a bad day when their lives start to spin out of control and everything seems to be going wrong.
The prison I'm in now, for instance, even though it first opened around 1985 and is considered to be "state of the art" with easier to manage cell blocks, surveillance cameras in the recreation yards, and a smaller population (around 640 compared with the older and larger New York prisons that have 2,000 or more inmates), is just as potentially dangerous as any other facility.
Recently, since the start of this year, we've been seeing an increase in fights. There's been tension in here that has never been at this level before, therefore resulting in a measurable increase in confrontations. Fortunately, things continue to run smoothly.
In fact, one of the local newspapers in this county published an article about the problem (Sullivan County Democrat, Tuesday, February 10, 2004). This was their lead story for the day.
In the article, concern was expressed by various prison workers that the growing number of assaults on staff have upset them and are a cause for alarm. A majority of the inmates, who are incarcerated here, go by the rules and have no desire to make trouble or cause problems. However, these assaults do have a ripple effect that helps to create an atmosphere of tension that touches everyone. And while prisons are not designed to make the inmates or staff feel comfortable, it is certainly more difficult to live and work in an environment where the potential for violence is at a heightened level.
I do believe the tension will eventually decrease. As a Christian, I've begun to pray about this. So have the other men who attend our chapel services.
During times like this, I'm grateful for the peace God gives to His children when our minds are fixed upon Him. This is an inner peace which passes all human comprehension. It will remain throughout all the storms. Amen!
D.B.
The prison I'm in now, for instance, even though it first opened around 1985 and is considered to be "state of the art" with easier to manage cell blocks, surveillance cameras in the recreation yards, and a smaller population (around 640 compared with the older and larger New York prisons that have 2,000 or more inmates), is just as potentially dangerous as any other facility.
Recently, since the start of this year, we've been seeing an increase in fights. There's been tension in here that has never been at this level before, therefore resulting in a measurable increase in confrontations. Fortunately, things continue to run smoothly.
In fact, one of the local newspapers in this county published an article about the problem (Sullivan County Democrat, Tuesday, February 10, 2004). This was their lead story for the day.
In the article, concern was expressed by various prison workers that the growing number of assaults on staff have upset them and are a cause for alarm. A majority of the inmates, who are incarcerated here, go by the rules and have no desire to make trouble or cause problems. However, these assaults do have a ripple effect that helps to create an atmosphere of tension that touches everyone. And while prisons are not designed to make the inmates or staff feel comfortable, it is certainly more difficult to live and work in an environment where the potential for violence is at a heightened level.
I do believe the tension will eventually decrease. As a Christian, I've begun to pray about this. So have the other men who attend our chapel services.
During times like this, I'm grateful for the peace God gives to His children when our minds are fixed upon Him. This is an inner peace which passes all human comprehension. It will remain throughout all the storms. Amen!
D.B.
