Dogs

Several days ago the prison's administration ordered a surprise search of my cell block (housing area) to look for illegal drugs...

I've been through this before. It's actually fairly routine. The inmates are rousted from their cells and are either escorted to one of the outside recreation yards, or to the gym depending on the weather. Then will come the dogs and their handlers who are law enforcement personnel. The convicts call it, "sniff and search," which is basically what it is. The dogs try to sniff out drugs while their handlers move things around thus giving the noses of their animals as much access as possible to a prisoner's property.

Unfortunately, in my building three inmates recently tested positive during a random urinalysis test for narcotics. With three "positives" in one cell block, prison officials deemed it necessary to make a surprise search of everyone's property, including mine.

Presently the three offenders are now confined to the facility's Special Housing Unit, more commonly known by prisoners and staff alike as "The Box." It was their choice to get high, but they got caught. Now everyone had to put up with the search. Such is prison life.

D. B.