Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Get Out of Jail Free Card

So today was my official first day at the prison. It was full of informational information like, don't get manipulated by someone that's drug seeking aka someone that says that they're a bipolar schizophrenic.  They indeed have instead FOS syndrome -_-.  Though I only observed two inmate/patient encounters, it was not a day without its memorable moments.  Like when one of the attendings asked the Jewish resident about details in the book of Revelations.  The response, "The Jew doesn't know."  That was only one of that many one liner jokes thrown out there today.  I wrote some down, if I remember I'll post them later.

Needless to say, it was quite uncomfortable when I went to get my ID badge.  Having to wait in a large room full of a myriad of convicts in varying degrees of dress (naked to assigned blues) was quite an unnerving experience. Especially when you KNOW they are staring at you and you obviously are walking around like a bumbling idiot because you're so nervous about the place you are in.

Apparently during morning report, we were informed that it's no big deal if you don't remember the inmates that go to the names that you're talking about because afterall "we're in the business of processing human units."  Yes, since this is a reception center (inmates come here from their original destination to their new location) and this is a state prison, were I have learned you lose all sense of self and have all human rights removed.  You are degraded by being yelled at and told when to eat sleep and shit.

The state prison is no joke, and the inmates know this.  You would think that with this much traffic there would be hell broken loose at the drop of a hat.  It's surprisingly organized.  Through the chaos of corrections officers telling inmate to hurry the fuck up and get their shit together, intakers yelling out inmate names as though she were calling cattle to the slaughter, there's a system that works.

As far as the people I'll be working with, well, they are what high school nerds grow up to be.  I mean who works 20 years as an ophthalmologist, retires, goes to law school and then goes into a psych residency? One of the residents, that's who.  The other isn't any better.  He worked as an assistant district attorney, retired and went to med school.  He has children my age.  They are quirky though awkward and they do help the down time go bye.  Can't really complain since they let me bullshit on the computer when I'm bored.

All in all not the worst of first days, but I'm hoping to report back on more excitement.   

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