MJ-Way

.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 two tutors who tested positive, and of course I would always be suspected of trafficking, and tested randomly. I felt it was just something that came with the job. I didn’t blame anyone for the moniker. Working inside a prison we were all suspects. The craftiness of the smugglers never failed to amaze me, and the prison administration did its’ best to keep the drugs out. The largest find was a sixteen ounce Mountain Dew pop bottle filled with white powder that tested positive for cocaine. It was found by officers along the fence line as they made their rounds testing the alarm system.

.Someone tried throwing it over the fence but it fell short. When I was informed about that find I wondered what else made it over the fence? Over the span of my career our Athletics Director would always show me ways other prisons would capture drugs making their way into the prison. He was privy to the reports/pictures usually through emails and he showed me how the prisons were basically under attack by smugglers. Anything that was delivered to the prison from its’ vendors was a vector for traffickers. In the Northern prisons the yards backed up to forests, some of the Southern prisons bordered farm land, and the urban prisons in the middle of neighborhoods, all provided opportunities for smuggling. The yards would have to be checked for anything out of place. Thinking of all the vectors drugs could make it into the prison is truly mind boggling, and greed a major motivation for doing it.

.It didn’t surprise me then when the siren sounded and we had to evacuate the yards. The school was closed and all prisoners returned to their housing units. We were once again on official lock down. We were not allowed to leave the school and attendance was taken to see who was here. The volunteers were rounded up and escorted out of the school by an officer. We new something serious must have happened. The officers were not saying anything and that usually meant this was very serious. We saw two Michigan State Police cars on our perimeter road, along with the county sheriff, and our own facility officers. They began checking the fences and a crew of officers were checking the inside fences. A group of officers were searching the big yards. We were then informed by our supervisor that drones were spotted over the prison. A violation of our air space above the prison. The prison would remain on lock down until the yards were cleared. This technology would pose a new threat to the prisons security. A brand new vector for smuggling or what ever nefarious activity a drone could be programmed for. >>>Prison Stories To Be Continued>>>

.He ruled the prison in the darkness. I believed him to be heaven sent. I knew he was hunting here in our gardens by his regurgitated fur balls of bones, teeth, claws, and feathers. I found them on the ground next to the housing units. We had a rodent problem which was kept in check by his insatiable eating habits. Rats, mice, voles, birds, and rabbits would meet him for the last time becoming his regurgitated burp. Our produce was well protected. He perched on the housing units roof top ledges and only came out at night. The prison was lit up with security lights at night, and that’s when he would be observed by the afternoon yard officers. They said his talons scraping on the metal roof ledge was a formidable sound and a foreboding for his unexpecting prey. I would get reports of him even chasing inmates who were walking the edge of our gardens. I figured there must be a nest somewhere, and he new where the rats were.

.On a sunny summer morning I had come in early to begin setting up for the days GED testing. I didn’t make it past the chow hall before the yard sergeant motioned me over to a walkway leading between two housing units. At the end of the walkway I saw a pile of feathers. The yard sergeant explained that an owl with large yellow eyes, and talons swooped out of nowhere and grabbed a seagull. The owl had his back to the chow hall but turned his head in what seemed to be 360 degrees, a complete circle, and looked directly at the yard sergeant. The yard sergeant could not believe it. He said the owl looked at him with those big yellow eyes, as if saying to him, “you are next,” defeathered the seagull, and ate him. The owl then flew over the barb wire fences into a field surrounded by trees. I could see him at a distance perched on the top of what appeared to be a dead limb. I thought from that distance he seemed huge. The pile of feathers left on the sidewalk was confirmation of the event.

.The owl continued to hunt our gardens for over five years. On a sunny day while one of my tutors was planting a shade garden under one of our crimson king maple trees with two of our students the owl made his presence known. He looked at them, hooted, and then flew over the fences into the trees in front of the prison. They were amazed at its’ size. I didn’t hear about him until a few weeks later when our yard sergeant informed me that an owl hit his car as he was exiting the freeway for the prison. It was chasing a rabbit. In the crash the owl took off the side view mirror, cracked the window and dented the door of his jeep. He couldn’t believe the size of it but it definitely died in the collision. He picked it up and put it in his jeep. All he thought about was how good this would look mounted in his man cave.

.When he got off work he went to the local office of the Department of Natural Resources. He was hoping they would let him keep it since it crashed into his jeep. He was going to find a taxidermist and have it mounted. The DNR Officer was sympathetic, especially after seeing the damage to his jeep, but he informed him it was a protected species, even though it was now deceased. The DNR Officer wrote a report, took pictures of the damage to his jeep, confiscated the owl after taking several pictures, and handed a copy of the report back to our yard sergeant. Attached to the report was a Kodak picture of the owl. He informed our yard sergeant that was the best he could do for him. The report and pictures would help him get his jeep fixed through his insurance company.

.Our yard sergeant not wanting to seem ungrateful asked the DNR Officer if he could take one more picture of him standing next to the owl which had a bit of rigor mortis by now ?The DNR Officer propped up the owl in the corner of the room and our yard sergeant got to stand next to him for the portrait. I was hoping it was not our owl but when he showed me the DNR report, the pictures of the damage to his jeep, and the portrait picture of him with the owl, my heart sank into my stomach. It definitely looked like our owl. All I could think of was the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. The rodent population might get a whole lot worse now. It seemed selfish on my part to think like that. There should be some kind of ceremonial burial. A warrior’s burial! The yard sergeant informed me the DNR planned on having the owl mounted for one of its nature centers. So much for that. >>>Prison Stories To Be Continued>>> EPHESIANS 1: 15-23

. I was in my fifth year of teaching when our school secretary was removed from our prison school for what I would learn later was an inappropriate relationship with a prisoner. I had learned that staff having inappropriate relationships with prisoners occurs during my training, and it was considered a serious department infraction. My first thought was why? Why would you risk being involved emotionally with someone who was capable of slitting your throat? In her case, the young man she was involved with was part of a drug deal robbery-massacre, he was convicted, and sentenced to life. She was very professional, and I was completely shocked when I was informed she would not be returning. My boss was also shocked, but he had informed me that this wasn’t the first time he had seen this happen. He was quite sure it wouldn’t be his last time either.

.I would see this happen several more times before I retired. I also watched our legislature pass laws that would make it a felony for staff to have inappropriate relationships with prisoners. Mr. Lazy was pretty nonchalant about her removal and believed there were more cases in the department just like it. He could be cynical at times but this did prove to be factual. Mr. Lazy didn’t stick around. He wasn’t getting anywhere with finding a job with Parole and Probation, and accepted a managers position with a large box retailer. He had never been in a managers position before. In retail, as a manager, he would not be working an eight hour day, or just 5 days a week. I didn’t want to mention this to him and figured the experience would be enlightening for him. I didn’t see or hear about him for some time. He would need to be replaced. That would take some time to do.

. In the mean time the existing teachers absorbed his students. At the same time the GED testing was being completed on the weekends by one of our local school districts. The school officer wasn’t impressed with the teacher giving the exams, or the process. He informed me that the teacher would fall asleep, and I felt he needed to let our school principal know. That was one of the quickest personnel changes I had seen in the department. The principal, once informed, made sure a new GED examiner was assigned to our school the very same day, and he thanked our school officer for letting him know. He even gave the school officer the authority to stop the GED testing process if there were any further discrepancies. So in a matter of a couple of weeks I had witnessed some rather quick, unexpected, personnel changes. I had no idea that in a few more weeks there would be more. .. Prison Stories To Be Continued… 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

. My first education conference where I would get to meet and talk with teachers from Michigan’s 42 prison schools was incredible. It was held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, not far from the University of Michigan campus. I enjoyed being in Ann Arbor. As an executive with the Detroit Medical Center, we had listened to speakers from the University’s Ross School of Business talk on a number of health care issues. But this time I wasn’t with executives. I was with people who had dedicated their lives in wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of those incarcerated. Truly, a unique group of teachers. I was like a kid in a candy shop. There were displays on all kinds of educational tools, but what I wanted to see the most was the vocational programs prison build program. Just as I found the Administrator responsible for the prison build program, I was approached by the lazy one who wanted me to join his group, and leave the conference to go golfing with his friends. I shook my head no and received a curt rebuff from him. “You think you can really learn something here” he said sarcastically as he walked away.

.The Prison Build Administrator listened to the whole interaction and I felt obligated to explain it. However, I didn’t need to. He knew exactly who the lazy one was and how he felt about educating prisoners. He informed me that the Lazy One hangs out with the guys in Parole and Probation and is trying to become a Parole Officer. Problem for him is they don’t want him. He laughed and said,” “they know he’s lazy.” He continued to explain that they have enough problems in that department and didn’t want to add him to their case load. Wow, I thought he knew a lot more about him then I did. I didn’t see Mr. Lazy for the rest of the conference but I did get to meet and speak with teachers from all over the state of Michigan representing prison schools in both the upper and lower peninsulas. I found them to be quite interesting with their own tales to tell, but I found the Trades Instructors involved in the prison build program fascinating. They had much enthusiasm, and spoke of a program they had just become affiliated with.

.The Prison Build program was in its’ infancy. The administrator I had spoken to earlier had just signed a contract with Habitat For Humanity to build roofing trusses. They would be made to specification and then shipped to a HFH warehouse. The size of the Habitat For Humanity Build, the amount of houses being built, would determine the number of trusses they would need. I saw nothing but good things coming from this program and it evolved into much more than I’m sure was anticipated. When I met the Administrator for the first time and he explained what they were trying to achieve in the prison build program, I understood immediately what it could do for the inmate students. They could learn to become skilled carpenters. The technicalities of “apprenticeships” would have to be worked on, but a door of opportunity was being made available. Through out my career as an instructor I tried to find ways for my students to stay connected to the community. This would be one very good way. >>>Prison Stories To Be Continued>>>>

Psalm 139: 13-18

. My boss Jesse, a real motivator of men, had enough of one of our academic teachers who always seemed to have a reason on why he couldn’t do what our Principal requested. This time it was the teacher not giving the Test of Adult Basic Education to those inmates needing a GED. I found it funny that this teacher always seemed to have time to play solitaire on a computer during our preparation hour and then enjoyed a rather extended lunch. So I was surprised when Jesse asked me to lay in my class and give the TABE test. I questioned Jesse on his motives and he winked. He knew I would understand, and I immediately thanked him for giving me the opportunity to do so. This was going to be fun and I expected to get some flack from the teacher whose responsibility this was.

. At our weekly staff meeting Jesse announced I would be giving the TABE test. The teacher turned bright red and said something like ” I hope he knows what he’s doing.” I informed him I had no clue. I just wanted to contribute most positively to our schools efforts in testing inmates needing GED’s and to be placed in the appropriate class. Besides, I thought out load, “it couldn’t be any harder than playing solitaire on our schools computer.” He wasn’t happy with that response, and I believed it pissed him off. He was still bright red, looked at me once, and mumbled something looking at the floor. The other teachers just smiled. He could be a handful when he wasn’t getting his way. True to form, he stormed out of the room when our meeting was over. Jesse smiled at me and said, “thank you.” He didn’t have to say anything else.

. The following day I had laid in my class and prepared the locator tests for the prisoners who would be taking them. It was what I had expected. Prisoners telling me they weren’t going to school and refusing to test. One with tattoo’s on his neck, that informed everyone he was the killer of 13, tore his test up and left. I set up my room for 25 testing stations. That was ambitious on my part. When the testing finally started I was glad to have 18 students. I was surprised to see the teacher whose responsibility this was circle outside my classroom. I smiled at him and waved. I’m sure he witnessed the chaos. At the end of the testing session the Principal called me to his office. He informed me that I wouldn’t be giving the TABE test anymore. The teacher whose responsibility this was had provided the Principal with a schedule of when he and the other academic teacher would be TABE testing. My services were no longer needed.

. I could only laugh. “Boy, I thought I was doing pretty good, ” I said to our Principal. He smiled. I informed him I only had to write six tickets on prisoners refusing a direct order to take the test. He again smiled, and informed me he was happy I stepped up, but that I would probably here how bad I was at this process by you know who. I again laughed and let our principal know I felt I just needed to work on my delivery. Jesse again smiled and said, ” I think you have been working on your delivery for sometime. It was very effective with that lazy one.” I thanked him again for giving me the opportunity, and I let him know I would be here for back up. He shook his head. I knew I would bump heads with the lazy one again. It was inevitable. When motivated I could become a Pitbull. That lazy one provided me many opportunities to become one. ..Prison Stories To Be Continued..

I would remember him for his honesty. I would remember him for his strength, but most of all, I would remember him for his one saying that I can not forget to this day. In the face of calamity, uncertainty, and fear which could occur daily in this prison setting he would say, “we will approach this like fools on the horizon.” I could see him using that philosophy on almost every decision I saw him make on the workings of this prison and how it would be managed under his tutelage. He was not a man who was afraid to make a decision. I had seen many in leadership positions who refused to make the difficult ones. He was not one.

He made several of them on how I would run my program, who would get the produce from the school garden, and how tools would be accounted for. He told me he wasn’t a fan of flowers, and asked that I not landscape anything by the level four housing units. He also asked that I not landscape the walkway leading to the school . He was fearful that my students would be accosted when there was prisoner movement on that walk way. He felt that prisons needed to look like prisons, (all concrete) but that I had carried out the wardens wishes well by landscaping it so abundantly. “Your a good soldier, and teacher,” he would go on to say later. I took it as a compliment coming from him. He had war wounds.

His last decision that effected my program was how prisoner movement would be carried out in the prison. He did not want level four and level two prisoners having direct contact with each other even in just passing. What he proposed and did was make a walk way through the garden next to the school building. I would lose having the only access to the garden in an area that was prohibited by all accept for my students, tutors, and our teachers. Out of Bounds signs were distributed between the walk way and the garden. Later those signs would mean nothing to a jailed population wanting their way, and the produce.

Because the new walkway cut through the garden I was given permission to establish a garden in another restricted space behind one of the housing units. I didn’t move on that immediately. It would take some planning. Now I would have to establish a border between the walk way and the garden. Something that would not be that appealing to be stolen but could have benefits to the community as well. I decided that in the first year the sidewalk was installed we would plant a perimeter of green cover crop along side it. I started with winter rye, used clover and buckwheat. The clover and buckwheat attracted thousands of bees a natural repellant. Anyone trying to access the garden from the side walk and ignoring the signs, would have to take the chance of being stung. It was an effective deterrent. At least, in the first year.

On our Wardens last day of work he stopped by to talk with me. He thanked me for implementing the horticulture program here, and felt I went beyond his expectations. I just thanked him for his support. Without it, the program would not have been successful. I questioned him on if and when our acting Deputy Warden would be promoted. He then confirmed what I thought were just rumors and hearsay. He had informed me that our acting Deputy Warden was an ex-offender and he believed the department would not promote him above an assistant grade level. If that was the case, he believed he would probably just retire as well, and maybe seek litigation. We said our goodbyes, and I really never saw what happened with our acting Deputy Warden. The Deputy Warden he filled in for was back from medical leave, and he never returned to his Assistant Deputy Warden position. He just seemed to vanish. ..Prison Stories To Be Continued..

They made a bad decision. One could argue they kept making bad decisions and that’s why they are imprisoned behind three barb wire fences. Today would be a culmination of a continued convoluted logic. These level four prisoners decided they were not going back inside their housing unit. Instead, they would disrupt how the prison would be run today. Once the officers closed the back gate they were not going to be going anywhere. Our Acting Deputy Warden walked into the yard where they were standing. He had courage. The officers told me later, the prisoners cussed him out and threatened his life. I don’t know if they realized that the officer in the gun tower could literally take them out permanently, and in all likelihood was waiting on the order to do so. Instead, the deputy turned and left the yard and at the same time motioned in the air with his hand to sound the siren. Once the control center saw him on camera, they immediately sounded the siren, and our swat team squad was activated.

Our facility was now in full mobilization. When an emergency mobilization is activated we are to report to our principal’s suite. All prisoners are told to leave the school and go lock up in their housing units. This is usually completed quickly, and without incident. An accounting of all the staff in the school building is completed by our school officers. We would then be directed to the visitor room in our administration building. Today we were told to stay in the school. The facility swat team was deployed to were the prisoners were standing. The prisoners were ordered to laydown on the ground with their hands behind their backs. Today they would make a better decision and they complied with the order. I believe men and women with riot shields, helmets, batons, and other assorted weapons got them thinking correctly. Their hands were zip tied, and then handcuffed. Some would be kept in separate cells in the housing unit , the others would be led to our segregation unit, and jailed there. The prison would return to normal operations the following morning.

My tutor was smiling when I saw him the next day. He had informed me that those guys wouldn’t be here much longer, and I asked him how he knew. The Acting Deputy Warden would not tolerate their nonsense. He was a man no one fooled with. He watched a prisoner punch him in the housing and the prisoner wasn’t seen again. Our Acting Deputy Warden was seen the next day making rounds like nothing happened. He was sure the prisoners who acted up yesterday would become “immediate snowbirds today. “It didn’t take me long to figure out what he meant. A long white correctional facility bus was making its way through our sally port gate. “Damn”, he said. “That didn’t take long”, he laughed. “They are on their way to the land of ice and snow. No visits for them!” Michigan’s higher security prisons were mostly located in the upper peninsula. They would only be getting an hour outside of their cell anyways. I wondered if it was worth it. They must have thought it was. My tutor continued laughing while saying, “they will be official snowbirds.” .. Prison Stories To Be Continued..

The truth matters. Thank you Mosab! May God protect you.

The Acting Deputy Warden would leave his legacy on this prison. He was a man of action. He had brought order to a prison in the city where ten inmates had escaped with help from the immediate community. The changes in security he made there insured the prison would not be in the news again. The inmates hated him and he did not care. He was photographed with our then governor for being one of the best correctional managers in the state of Michigan and his career was getting him some notoriety. One of the first things he did as the Housing Assistant Deputy Warden at our prison was eliminate the small yard in front of all the housing units, and then had all the basketball poles removed there as well. There would be no recreation in front of the housing units. That was reserved for their yard time, when they had yard time, in the yard behind the school, and it would be monitored.

When our new Acting Deputy Warden was making rounds he was often approached by inmates. Some had general concerns and he would address them. Still others, would end in bitch sessions which usually got the inmate handcuffed and led to segregation. One of the weirdest things I saw was an inmate rolling up to him in a wheel chair while he was walking towards the school. The inmate was cussing him out the whole time, and when he finally reached him, he was met by two officers who wheeled the cussing inmate to segregation. He was still cussing the Acting Deputy Warden out as he was being wheeled to the segregation unit. However, what I remembered most was the way he handled a potential prison riot. I was working with my tutor in the greenhouse getting ready for our afternoon class session. It was hot all morning, and it seemed to be getting hotter. A few of the level four prisoners had a very brief exchange of words with my tutor as they were headed back to their housing unit from the chow hall.

He felt they had just given him a warning about something bad getting ready to go down in the big yard where the level four prisoners were now congregating behind the school. We both walked to the edge of the barbwire fence and could see they were not returning to their housing unit. My tutor looked at me and told me do not bring out any tools for the afternoon class, and he informed me he was going to lock himself down in his cell. He believed the level four prisoners, not going back to their cells, was an indication they were getting ready to riot. He advised me to lock everything up and to go home. With that he left for his housing unit. I have to say. I was a little unnerved, and felt very uneasy. However, I did make sure that all the tools were locked up. Then the announcement was made on the over head yard speakers.: “All prisoners are to return to their housing units.” The yards were quickly cleared of all level two prisoners but about fifteen level four prisoners were not returning to their housing units from chow. It is beginning I thought, as I said a quick prayer, and watched the yard officers lock the gates to the yard where the level four prisoners were congregating ..Prison Chronicles To Be Continued…

When the Truth Matters. Well said Douglas Murray.

Mr. Dandy was in trouble. He had the highest GED completion rate in the MDOC prison school system which he used to berate the other school principals who could not even come close to his GED completion numbers. Even though he was the only prison school that had both day and night shifts of teachers teaching, he was held in high regard by the prison education administration because of his GED success rate. Now, his numbers were in question. I never heard about him again. I figured he retired and our training was being completed through the GED testing service. At the same time that happened, our prison had a new Acting Deputy Warden. He had been the Assistant Deputy Warden of Housing when I first met him, and then he became the Assistant Deputy of Programs over our school. From there he was promoted to Acting Deputy Warden. Our current Deputy Warden was on medical leave.

He was an interesting person. I met him for the first time when we were assigned to a prison housing unit during an emergency lockdown. I had heard from some of the officers that he was actually an ex-inmate. He had been assaulted during the prison riots in Jackson. Once he served his time for the crime he committed, he was hired by the MDOC and eventually promoted through the ranks The prisoners hated him. Most of the officers liked him because he knew the games prisoners played, and sided with the officers when prisoners became disruptive. During a lock down prisoners were not to leave their cells. The Acting Deputy Warden explained that over the loudspeaker in the unit, and the prisoners in unison started calling him names I had never heard men call other men on this side of the Mississippi River. I learned a whole new vulgar vocabulary. It was hard to figure out what they meant, and you just didn’t want to ask your colleagues, “hey what did they mean when they said they were going to split his wig and feed him the pig?”

At the time I figured it was some kind of an insult, but I didn’t want to ask anybody for clarification. I was just stunned by the amount of vocal outrage being showered on him. He surprised me when he stepped back up to the microphone an announced, ” I know what you want to do to me but it’s not going to happen!” Again, the housing unit irrupted into a vocal sea of vulgarity aimed precisely at him. Words and statements it would take years for me to decipher, but left an indelible mark on my psyche. Damn, you could feel the hatred. With that he left, after smiling at me and seeing that I looked to be in state of shock. As he was leaving he gave instructions to the housing unit manager and pointing at me he instructed her” to make sure I get some water. I looked like I’m going to pass out.” It surprised me, but all I could think of was “damn, what the hell is this?” This was my first time being called to a housing unit to work during an emergency mobilization. and it would not be my last. ..Prison Stories To Be Continued…

I passed the examination and was now the official GED Proctor at our prison school. Our new principal made sure that I had all of the support I needed to make it successful. We went over how the exams were to be administered, how often they were to be given, and the security needed to protect them from being stolen. They would be kept in a safe in her office, and only her and I would have the combination. There was a certain combinations of stops and starts that would always mix me up, and it would take me awhile to get it right to open. It was a gun safe but had been converted to our new GED Test safe. Our staff Lock Smith new how the combination was to be entered but he didn’t know the numbers. I would call him often in the beginning to get it right. He was always helpful and would just say, ” how long have you been teaching?” My reply was always, “obviously too long.”

We had a staff meeting which included all of our teachers, our secretaries, and the school officers. Our principal was very thorough on what was expected by everyone involved in this process. They all played a key role in the success of our program. The school officers were instructed to shake the prisoners down (frisk them) before they entered the exam room. They had to be dressed in their state blues (prison uniform) and were to be sent back if they were not. The prisoners could not take anything in with them, including jewelry and watches. The officers would enforce the rules of testing. They would also make regular rounds, and observe the testing process. If they felt anything was not right, they would address it with me, and if need be I would have the issue corrected if it needed to be. The school principal also wanted the officers to report any issues to her. She stayed totally connected. I had heard she was very thorough, and she demonstrated it in this meeting.

Her final instructions were to the academic teachers. They were in no way to enter the testing area, under any circumstances. It just wasn’t permitted by the GED testing service, and we could lose our license to give the exams if it was reported they were in the room while the exams were being given. The school officers had an open channel to our school principal and the warden if they felt the exam process had been compromised. A suspected serious compromise could shut the testing down until it was resolved. The prisons emergency response system was also addressed by her. In the event the system was activated while testing, a protocol was established that I had to implement, and secure the exams. The school officers would help in the process of securing the exams.

Before the meeting ended our school principal announced that all the GED testing was halted at our upper peninsula prison schools. The officers found answers to the exams in Mr. Dandy’s school. I couldn’t help but smile. I thought of my old boss Jesse and how he felt about Mr. Dandy. She shook her head and said with a smirk, ” A good guess, he’s no longer the apple of their eye.!” I thought, just like the MDOC, to go from hero to zero in a heart beat. Full circle karma for him…. Prison Stories To Be Continued..

The truth matters. Thank you Mosab Yousef.