Prison Journal #2: My Summer at Camp Devens
- mainemoviepirate
- Jul 20
- 3 min read
Actual Journal Entry: Day 28 - 7/20/21 - Tues (Con't)
“First day at the Camp, it’s like night and day compared to the SHU. Finally got my leg charged. The camp is exactly how it sounds: one big warehouse-type room with bunk beds separated with cubicles (Note: Eventually I christened it ‘CubiCells’; it didn’t catch on, but I always used it. Kind of funny, I swore I’d never work in a place with cubicles, and yet, here I was). But no cuffs, no locks, and so far, no attitudes. Still have a lot to learn. The SHU is more what I imagined prison to be like, but the camp has a lot of complicated ‘implied rules’ about inmate interaction, like sitting with your own race at mealtime. Just seems weird to me, in 2021. Plus, there are a lot of prison policies I just don’t know, and they seem to be always changing. But I’m trying to be a fast learner. I thought I lost my original journal in the SHU-to-Camp transfer (it was a little rough), but the ‘book’ showed up after searching my stuff. E. did indeed have four boxes from Danbury (prison only allows you two, and they are big boxes). That was an adventure. The guard unpacking E.’s stuff kept saying, ‘How did you get this much stuff transferred? Who do you know over there??’ E. would just shrug and act like he didn’t have a clue. The guard continued, ‘Well, if I pack you out of here, YOU’LL HAVE TWO.’
One of the original guards that intaked me on Day 1 asked me if they let me have my leg in the SHU. I said no, just as I was leaving. The guard shook his head and walked away.
We made it with all the boxes, etc. With me and RO helping E. carry his crapload of stuff—thirteen years of prison worth. An inmate named CC drove us on the short bus to the camp. I would find out later he was the Town Driver, a regular inmate job at the camp. He was super helpful and full of information and advice. The commissary list is way longer here; that’s super cool. And yet, the other inmates are already giving me stuff, which only increases my admiration for this place, compared to the SHU. An inmate named MX gave me an extra watch, which has already proven to be invaluable as they have very strict counts at 4 PM and 10 PM every day (also a 10 AM on the weekend). You have to stand at attention and be quiet in front of your ‘CubiCell’ while two guards physically walk through, counting everyone. So far, that’s the only strict thing I have seen here.
LUNCH: An excellent Chicken Sandwich, beans (which I shouldn’t have eaten, but I did). SUPPER: Tacos, but I think it was Chili—not sure if it was. The food is way better here already. Not great, just better.
Should get a couple more notebooks (one to pay back E., even though he said don’t worry about it), real pens (though I’ll still use the SHU pens if my hand cramps), and be on the lookout for more. (Update: Nope, commissary was delayed for us—me, E., and RO—basically everyone who came from the SHU. Man, I got bad commissary Ju-Ju; third one I missed. Apparently, according to CC, I have that ‘never been in prison’ look. Guilty. But I have been very impressed with how E., CC, and many others have been very helpful. Not how I imagined prison to be at all.”
Notes for Day 28 (Four Years Later)
There was more that happened the first day, but I may have recorded it in future entries. If not, I’ll come back and add some of the important stuff to these notes. I basically just wandered the camp, checking out the library, the TV rooms, and the computer room (too new to have email or phone log-in). Basically, I was looking for a place to write—to recapture my output flow. I had my own CubiCell, everyone did, because COVID was still an issue. But people would walk up and just start talking to you, which is fine; I want to meet new people and get along. But at some point, I want my morning writing time back.
Patience. That’s what prison basically is: a chance to practice patience, tolerance, and fortitude. Something everyone should exercise, not just ‘criminals.’
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