Theater

.My experience teaching in this prison would be down right hilarious, if it wasn’t for the constant unexpected threat of violence. The school was always filled with activity. That activity could be a variety of classes, both academic and vocational, as well as programs. The program staff taught inmates being paroled a number of subjects pertaining to their release from prison. It was based on a curriculum supported by the prison administration, and prisoners had to attend the classes. No excuses would be accepted for missing a class meeting. An absence would eliminate them from the program. Not completing the program would effect their release date, and prolong their prison stay. I can honestly say those program classes were well attended. They were taught in a classroom across the hall from mine, and they would line up at the door to get in. Not something I was use to seeing here.

. It wasn’t uncommon that the program meetings would be scheduled at the same time our school had classes. I faulted the prison administration for not wanting to work with the prison school administration to make sure conflicting scheduled classes were kept at a minimum. I felt it was bad management, and a waste of time, but the teachers were left trying to iron out the conflicts. As a teacher I didn’t want to keep one of my students from attending a program required for his release from prison, but I also couldn’t understand why it had to be scheduled during our class meeting time. The more I requested clarification on the scheduling conflicts, the more the conflicts seemed to occur. Not getting any clarification on the scheduling,( belligerent teachers don’t need clarification), I had no choice but to let it work itself out, and I did not prevent my students from attending. They would be completed in six weeks, and could make up the time in my class when they returned. A total win win, but a boondoggle for prison education statistics.

. After seeing the room across the hall from me occupied all week long, I was surprised to see the room empty. However, the double doors to the room were wide open and the lights were off. I was wrapping up my class with only my tutors in my room as we went over what we would work on with the afternoon class. I approached the room across the hall to shut the doors, when all of a sudden a table was dropped on it side blocking the doors entry and at the same time a command came out to me from inside the room “to get out or I’ll slit this bitches throat!” I could not see anyone and I figured they must be on the floor behind the table. My first reaction was to pull my body alarm but I didn’t need to. Our School Officers rushed the room from the doors in an opposite hallway and the scenario was brought to an immediate end. It was only a practice. A practice?

.The prison administration staged the event to see how the school personnel and officers would react under the stress of a real hostage taking scenario. It was theater at its worst, or best, depending on your place in the prison management hierarchy. Regardless, my heart and mind registered the incident as stressful. I thought for sure one of our female staff had been grabbed, assaulted, and could possibly be killed. It was the first time I would actually feel a pressure in my chest. It would not be the last. Prison Stories To Be Continued…