Blog #2...Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: Aren't you scared when you go to prison?
A: This question makes me laugh. No. Not at all. The people incarcerated have no reason to want to hurt me, it would only make their lives even more miserable. Also, I trust the staff to keep me safe if a situation were to arise. I also trust my inmate friends who I know would defend me in a heartbeat- they've told me so. I know for a fact Terry would lay down his life to protect me. I stay alert, of course, because I realize that people in prison aren't there for helping little old ladies across the street, but to be afraid to work there, would be distrusting the very people I'm there to help.


Q: Do they hit on you?
A: Not the ones I work with on a regular basis, no. Sometimes I hear catcalls and such when I'm walking across the yard, and although it's annoying- it's to be expected...they don't see many women. I just sort of shrug it off, if I even notice it at all anymore. I hear them tapping on their windows from the high security side(they are locked up 23 hours a day there) I just never acknowledge it, because trust me, you don't want to see what's in their windows.

Q: Do you meet a lot of homosexuals?
A: Possibly? I don't know, it's not like I ask them their sexual preference. Have I met any men who act like women? One...he/she went by the alias "Diamond" and she did my boss's hair for the prison hair show, and she was a D-I-V-A.

Q: What can inmates have in their cells?
A: Depends on their level of security. The ones on the low side have jobs and keys to their cells and have a giant yard to exercise in. They can have approved tv's and radios, and they are allowed to purchase candy and things like that once a week with the money they've earned from their prison jobs. The ones on the high side (locked up 23 hours a day, exercise in a cage, ect...) can have tv's also, but other than that their cells are pretty empty.

Also, side note...the level of security you're placed in has nothing to do with the crime that put you in prison. The level of security you're placed in depends on your behavior once you've been incarcerated. So, I work with a murderer, he's on low security, there's a guy on the high security side who is in for check fraud--but he either assaulted a staff member or had some sort of contraband that landed him locked up 23 hours a day. Sounds odd, but...that's the way it is.


I'll keep thinking of more questions, or you could ask!

First things first...

I guess I could start with what exactly it is that I do, not that anyone is particularly interested, but one day when I'm old and gray I'd like to be able to look back on this and remember it all. :)


I am an AmeriCorpsVISTA* which is the Domestic Peace Corps. I was assigned to be the Good Samaritan Network coordinator for Middle Tennessee. Basically this means that I recruit and train mentors for offenders while they are still incarcerated-to build a relationship for six months or until they are released, and then for the mentor and the offender to continue that relationship on the outside. I started my job in February and it's been a life changing and eye opening experience.

Throughout this blog you'll hear a lot about a few key people.

Robin- my boss, the director of the Department of Correction.
Terry- An inmate incarcerated at Riverbend Maximum Security prison.
Robert- The pre-release counselor at Riverbend Maximum Security prison.
Neely- Another inmate worker at the Department of Correction.
Morris- Another inmate at Riverbend.
Joe- Inmate at Riverbend.
Gaile Owens- a woman sentenced to death at the Tennessee Women's Prison. Her execution date is set for September 2010.

Like I said, I work in prison. This job is a complete 180 from my prior job experience which was being a house parent at a children's home in Texas where I helped raise 8 beautiful children. God put me in this position with zero program coordinating experience...to coordinate a failing program in Nashville. Things have been ridiculously hard, but we are making headway and I couldn't have done it without the determination and support of some awesome inmates and some compassionate non-inmates. :)


Basically this blog is just going to be a place where I can share funny stories- or not-so-funny stories, about my experiences behind the fences.

I am NOT employed by the Department of Correction- so my views are just that...my views...and nothing else. I have the unique ability in my position to be able to work in a complicated system but steer clear of the majority of the politics that come with it.
I just try to love God and love His people, and I go where I am sent.

I hope this blog, if nothing else, shows whoever reads it that there are good people in prison, people who made bad decisions, people who acted out of desperation, and some who might even be innocent. Some of these people have become my dear friends, and while I hate that they have created victims, I'm committed to helping them not create any more.


Soooo, stay tuned...
Tuesdays and Wednesdays I spend at Riverbend.
Sometimes I am at Deberry Special Needs Prison, where the criminally insane and those with disabilities or sicknesses are housed.
Other times I'm at the Tennessee Prison for Women.
And sommmeeetimes I get to travel to other prisons in West Tennessee and East Tennessee.

I only have 6 months left in my year of service and I wish I would have started this blog sooner because so much insanity has happened so far...I hope the next 6 months are just as eventful!


Holler!