Author Archives: mjwayblog

. I didn’t really know her, but she seemed really pleasant. The tutors that were kept to run the Horticulture program thanked her for taking the responsibility of overseeing what was left of the program. The school principal, like many of the managers in the MDOC, acted perfunctorily when informing me of her passing fromContinue reading “A Culling”

. Before the Covid pandemic started, I was requested by our school principal to travel to another prison facility and help a program staff person decide how to run the greenhouse. The principal had eliminated the Horticulture program, but he still wanted the greenhouse to operate. I did not agree with his decision to eliminateContinue reading “What He Wanted”

. The land of nod is where drug addicts find solace. It was no different here in this prison. Drugs were being smuggled in and the potency was an unknown variable. The unknown variable eliminated the lives of many a prisoner who were addicted. They would never leave the land of nod, and would becomeContinue reading “Dreaming”

Matthew 16: 13-16 . I got to meet an interesting person who was working for the Oakland County Livingston County Human Services Agency in Pontiac, Michigan. I was introduced to him through our Facility Coordinator, and I found him to be unbelievably talented. He wasn’t just another bureaucrat looking to see where he could getContinue reading “Enlighten Me”

.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 subjectsContinue reading “Theater”

.He didn’t know. How could he. She wasn’t clear on her instructions. She never was. I believe she was flying by the seat of her pants and had no idea what she was doing. She was a rookie but would never admit it. She had the backing of all the people who mattered. They didn’tContinue reading “Obliged”

.He wasn’t the brightest star in the east but he still flickered. It was easy to see how he could be set up, and he was. He ended up being the product of a scheme hatched by wanna be gangbangers. I would find out about his story from one of my tutors who grew upContinue reading “Betrayed”

.For my students, the battle to do good is just that, a battle. It is just as hard in prison as it is in the world to do good continuously, and for all the right reasons. In trying to correct my students thinking I would always be reminded by them that the world does notContinue reading “The Duel”

. Most of my students were dedicated and worked hard to attain their certifications. Still a small minority didn’t give a rats ass and were waiting to be paroled. The sooner the better, and to my surprise they were released. It became a viscous cycle. Released, reoffend, and return was what I witnessed throughout myContinue reading “The Conundrum”

.When our prison merged with a closed prison located in the city we had an immediate rise in positive inmate drug tests. The staff could be drug tested at random and I wasn’t privy to that information but inmate positive drug tests I was made aware of as a teacher. I ended up losing twoContinue reading “Smuggles”