When I first was transferred to Arn-2 maximum
security unit, I did not like Dino.
She was a bully,
always using her size and weight to intimidate other inmates. I have
always been for the
underdog. Dino had followers, and she ruled by fear. Her
demeanor was similar
to the OZ character, Adabece. The norm was to do what she
said, or get quietly
roughed up.
I did not believe that robberies existed in prison. There were no
pistols, so how
would an inmate rob
you? It did not make since until I witnessed a robbery in progress.
Dino ran the 2 for 1 store. Many women from general population were her
customers.
Coffee and
pre-embossed envelopes were hot items. Envelopes were like money.
New admits were housed
in Hale unit. They were considered admissions inmates coming
Automatically, inmates
were stripped of everything coming in. They were issued state
uniforms and a $5.00
starter baggie of cheap cosmetics. The starter baggie had a small
black comb, a small
sample tube of generic toothpaste, a toothbrush that was no more
than four inches long,
and a few deodorant packs. There was also a small motel sized
bar of soap, and a
small package of shampoo that was sample size. The wait was anywhere
from one week to three
weeks before an admissions inmate could shop. When the counties
dropped women off, the
money that was in their county account did not follow. Some
counties were quicker
than others. If your family tried to by pass the wait, and forward
money to the prison so
that you can shop, that still took time. In state prison, the person
sending money had to
be an approved visitor, and it took time to get visitors approved.
If
a newbie came in and knew someone from home, they would look out and buy
shampoo, conditioner,
deodorant, soap, toothpaste, a real toothbrush, a writing tablet,
and pre-embossed
envelopes. This care package was very important for survival in
admissions. Even
knowing someone willing to supply necessities on loan was appreciated.
Because so many women
were there from Cleveland that knew me from home, I received
large care packages
all day, every day. That enabled me to hook up a lot of the women
in admissions with me
that did not have anything.
"Who is she?" They would ask about me.
Some of the givers were genuine, but much of the gifts was a part of the
unspoken
bribery norm.
'I look out for you now, and then you owe me a favor later', was how it worked.
I guess the
streets worked the same way, just not as obvious.
My enemies would also attempt to give me more gifts than friends.
"Thanks, but I am good." I said often, returning whatever they
sent.
Many people in prison live by a philosophy that dictates to keep your enemies
close.
Not me. I have
been burnt too many times in life for that. I keep my enemies as far away
from me as I
can. People give off energy. Enemies host negative energy.
They thrive on
your mishaps and pray
serious prayers to destroy you, and bring you down.
Who
needs all that negative energy close to them? Not me.
My immediate circle has always been small and tight. Because I am an
introvert, I love
living my life alone,
caught up and driven by my own thoughts and passions.
Newbies could not write home to notify their families of their whereabouts or
anything
without pre-embossed
envelopes, therefore Dino had a thriving customer base from the
new women coming
in.
Some of the women did try to play her, or simply could not pay up.
"I didn't get my money yet. My Mom said she sent it, but
didn't. I will pay you when I can."
The newbie would say.
"Alright. It's cool." Dino answered.
Once the women moved into general population, out of admissions, Dino would rob
her.
"I need to know where she works at, and when she leaves her
room." Dino told her flunkies.
When she found out the times that the inmate was out of her room, she'd go pick
the
combination
lock. In the back of each lock, there was an indent that allowed officers
to open
any lock with one
master key, without having the combination numbers.
With a flunky on standby with a garbage bag handy, Dino would open the lock,
fill filling
garbage bag, and have
the patsy carry the bag across the yard to her unit door.
Many inmates keep everything of value in their locker. Their personal
pictures, expensive
sneakers, and clothing
items were locked up at all times. Dino always locked the lock back
and made sure to leave
the room and area undisturbed. As a result of her regular robberies,
Dino supplemented her
two-for-one store without having to spend any cash.
"Hey Turpin, I have a full bag of stuff for sale. It has a pair of
used sneakers that might
fit you also. I
will give you a deal- put 100 bucks on my books and you can have the whole
bag." She
proffered.
"No. I am good, but thanks anyway." Was always my reply.
I
did not trust Dino, and I did not like her style.
She
preyed on other inmates, and was always waiting to catch them slipping.
Essie was
also a professional robber. The difference between Essie and Dino was
Essie would
only hit a lick for
survival or if she had beef with someone.
Because I had Lisa and Phala on my payroll for laundry and ironing monthly, I
was exempt
and protected from all
robberies.
Lisa and
Phala always shared money or canteen I gave them with Essie. I was a
good, regular
customer, and paid by
the first of each month. I also gave bonuses. Many women scrub
their
tennis shoes because
they could not afford to buy new ones. Being a tennis shoe scrubber
was also a
hustle. Many women knew how to make your own sneakers look like
new.
We were allowed sundry
boxes every three months, and to order sneakers from Eastbay
sports catalog.
I loved fresh sneakers, and nice shoes. I have always had a shoe fetish.
Although I could not
feed it like I did at home with regular shopping sprees for shoes all
over the country, I
did have the best selection of shoes in prison. Every three months, when
I received new shoes,
I gave my shoes to Essie. We wore the same size, and I liked her.
Because of the
realness I showed her, she guarded me like a pit bull.
"What are you doing by her room!" or, "Get away from
her!" She would yell to everyone.
Of
course she was looking out for her own interest. She was over 6 feet
tall, and a heavy
weight, and did not
mind putting in work. She loved to fight on the streets, and it showed
each time she had to
rough someone up. Essie was my self-appointed goon. Being robbed
was no longer an
option for me. I would have thrown the old shoes away anyway, as I'd
done when in main
population, so it was a very cheap price to pay for loyalty.
Some women figured out what happened to their items, and others didn't, to this
day.
Many of the officers
called them liars.
"You could not have had anything in your locker, or you passed your
combination out.
This is prison.
Get over it." The officers always replied.
Phala and Lisa were happy to be on Essie's team. As I stated previously,
homosexual
activity is very
different in a female prison than in a male. Some of the females
literally
will fight you for
talking to their girlfriends, and the turn outs are the worse as far as
jealousy. Nobody
jumps anyone's bones. Nobody forces an inmate to be in a gay
relationship.
As a matter of fact,
gay girls are in very high demand in female prisons, and keep an
entourage of women
around them, weighing on them, hand and feet. Its all based
on
supply and
demand. There is never enough boy-girls in prison to go around.
The same issues that women suffer from on the streets follow them to
prison. If they
were stalkers of men,
guess what? The same behavior transfers inside prison walls, and
they stalk level four
women. Codependency is a big problem in prison. Many women
are not comfortable
being alone, sitting by themselves and doing their time. They
displayed the same
needy behavior when they were not in prison.
Sexual acts are labeled a 205. They are not allowed, and are against the
prison
rules, yet women take
chances daily. Prison life promotes homosexuality on many levels.
If you have a friend or someone close to you that is facing prison time, the
best
advice that you can
give them is not to look for friends in prison, and to learn to sit
alone and be alone in
this environment. Inmates have many hours, days, and months
to contemplate their
release and focus on making their lives better. It is hard to
do, but a woman should
make it mandatory while serving time- I love being alone,
and silence is really
golden, because we do not get a lot of it inside the walls.
Rhonda Turpin
worldbookspublishing@gmail.com
fb/rhondaturpin
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