Each prison cell at this facility has one screened window...
A majority of these windows either face different cement courtyards, or they face the window of other cellblocks, or the walls of nearby administrative buildings. While still other cells have their window facing the blacktop recreation yard with its heat absorbing asphalt, as opposed to the more open side, in which a lesser number of cells face our dirt and gravel ball field.
Furthermore, where I am now living is healthier than where I was residing previously. My former cell was just above the tables where the inmates gather to play cards or other board games. These tables are on the ground floor which also serves as a dayroom. My former cell was ten feet above them.
The problem with this is that so many prisoners are chain smokers. Thus, while I was living at my previous location, I developed a chronic cough. Many times, during the recreation period, which runs from 6:15 to 11 p.m., seven days per week, I could not catch my breath. My cell was filled with a haze of smoke.
Now, where my new cell is, underneath me and on the first floor, is what's called the "pit area." The men gather here to leave the cellblock to go to their work assignments or to leave the building for other reasons. No one is allowed to smoke in this particular area. Thus, the air is cleaner. Although there is still a haze of smoke here, too, the level of smoke is much lighter.
It was a hassle to pack all my things, drag everything to the opposite end of my building, and then unpack, but it seems to have been worth the effort.
D.B.
Furthermore, where I am now living is healthier than where I was residing previously. My former cell was just above the tables where the inmates gather to play cards or other board games. These tables are on the ground floor which also serves as a dayroom. My former cell was ten feet above them.
The problem with this is that so many prisoners are chain smokers. Thus, while I was living at my previous location, I developed a chronic cough. Many times, during the recreation period, which runs from 6:15 to 11 p.m., seven days per week, I could not catch my breath. My cell was filled with a haze of smoke.
Now, where my new cell is, underneath me and on the first floor, is what's called the "pit area." The men gather here to leave the cellblock to go to their work assignments or to leave the building for other reasons. No one is allowed to smoke in this particular area. Thus, the air is cleaner. Although there is still a haze of smoke here, too, the level of smoke is much lighter.
It was a hassle to pack all my things, drag everything to the opposite end of my building, and then unpack, but it seems to have been worth the effort.
D.B.
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