Life, in these, four walls, for the crimes we’d, committed, living in, orderly fashion, with our freedoms to do, to be, taken away from us…translated…
Because of My Personal Experiences, I Gained the Opportunities to Go in & Out of the Penitentiary Systems, Observing the Many Facets of Life, How Odd the World Actually is. Everybody Can Imagine What Life is Like in These Four Walls, and the Rumors Flew, But, Stereotypes, Prejudices, Doesn’t Help the Reforms of These Individuals, I Hope to Share My Observations with This, “Invisible Eyes” of Mine, to Help the Outside Understand What Goes on Inside…………
One day, a little over a year ago, it was raining lightly, the hall to the warden’s office had a ton of inmates cramping up the spaces, the man in charge announced on the P.A., that from this day forth, the inmates will get an hour of exercises. After the words were spoken, came the, loud applauses from all around, the hoorays, the thank yous can from all around. Actually, I can’t decipher what the manager of the prison’s expressions, but I’d felt, that it wasn’t quite enough, to reply back to the inmates’ genuine, gratitude of this gift. Not long thereafter, I’d learned, that that look came from, some other, place.
The psychological health, on some levels, is related to the outdoor sessions for a short period of time every single day, this can only help the management of the penitentiary system, and not harm it. There are, the tall buildings close by to the Taipei Penitentiary systems, with the grand views to everything all around, the news media had once captured the former president serving his term. The ATM cash case convict, the Romanian man’s girlfriend, as he’d been in custody, had come to visit him daily, not only that, she’d, taken up a rental place close by so she could wave to him as he’d come out for some air.
Before the amendments of the Prison Sentencing, this outing is limited to once every three days. It’s been said, that after three days of being kept indoors, the inmates would get rowdy, and harder to manage. How many minutes each time? Practically, fifteen to twenty minutes, if, one day, we’d given them half an hour out, and surely we would see that look of satisfaction from all of their, faces. Compared to those in the prison cells, because the goal there was to make sure that the prisoners don’t collaborate together, that they don’t work up a conspiracy of their testimonies in court, we can only, open the cells one by one, and allow them to walk freely in the prison hallways, for five minutes, to walk around the hallways a couple of laps at a time, or, to do some stretch exercises with the P.A., then, the rituals of “breathing outside” was, completed. In the penitentiary, five minutes had been, more than , a blessing, so you can see, what half an hour is, and, allowing the inmates to work out for a whole our, that a grand policy.
With only a limited amount of space, the wings can only take turns by shifts in usage, and, when it rained, the outside exercise sessions got, cancelled. Rounding up the entire group of inmates to the exercise place, security is a total, challenge. There would be two managers there, to support the manager of the prison, opening up the cells one by one, for the security checks, and, after the inmates had the roll calls, then, seven, to eight workers would count the heads, to maintain the security. As the inmates walked past the manager of the quarters, they’d greeted her/him, and, they’d stood in orderly lined fashion when they are outside, and, the man in charge called roll, then, directed the exercises based off of their means of, managements. The seven to eight voluntary military services persons and the two managers had separate duties, responsibilities to take care of. The managers of the prison systems, some wouldn’t mind sharing words with the inmates, some chose to keep their distances, but, when something was up, the managers started sounding off the whistles, and all the inmates are made to squat down, easier for the guards to take care of what was going on. And, the walkie talkie the prison security had can call up more forces at any time, to subdue the inmates who were, misbehaving themselves.
When the penitentiaries are involved, there would always be scenes of mingling of the inmates, because this, was the only social event of the prisons. And of course, these socials needed to have the orders set up, the rules. The few stone stools, like they were, symbols of status for someone, and naturally, there would be the goonies who’d, taken care of the matter for the leaders and, those freshmen who just sat down on the benches, they’d gotten the eye rolls at them, and, if they don’t move their asses off, then, that would be taken for wanting a fight. The voluntary servicemen would keep the corners steady, to prevent these newbies from getting in the way of the more senior inmates.
The western saying: birds of a feather, flock together. The similar attracts, is best use to describe the goings on in the fields of the penitentiary. The inmates used these free times given to them to socialize, instead of exercise. The tax evaders, are not to be in the same sections as the criminal offenders, but, at the exercise times, there’s no differentiations, and, the legally binding fact of not mingling in the cells, became completely nonexistent in the workout fields.
illustration from UDN.com
After the head consultant of the Thento Union’s Chapter of the Sun, Liu, after he’d been taken into custody, on the following day when he was allowed out to breathe the air, those who’d, come to offer their respects to him came one by one, offering the cigarettes, and they’d, connected with him. Although tall the news analyzed that using the title, “Liu the Third” to commit the murder, this time, he may never be a freed man for the rest of his life, and yet, seeing how busy he got, interacting with other inmates, like he was only, entering from his living room to dining room, no scent of loss for him whatsoever, and he’d, limited the words of exchange too, to take advantage of the time he was allotted, to run the laps around the basketball courts. During the espionage case, the prime suspect, Chou was here, he’d often written the poetries to entertain himself, at first, he’d started, running the laps around the court too, but then, he’d, started, pacing to and from with the few inmates, discussing the case, and, set up the strategies of defense for their cases.
After same-sex marriage became legalized, there are several times I’d seen the same-sex inmates holding hands, strolling around together. Although there were the jokes that passed from the other inmates, but those who were holding hands, strolling together don’t get discriminated against too much. The managers didn’t ask them to part either. Because the two individuals were kept in separate sections, there’s no need for further intervention either. I hadn’t heard of any tragedies that’s occurred around the basketball courts yet. Naturally, this has to do with the homosexual inmates, being, kept apart from the rest of the general populations.
Since the Prison Rule reform was set in place last July 15th, it’d allowed every inmate an hour of exercises a day, and mostly, outdoors. The Taipei Penitentiary had filed for the funding, but the funding only went to decorating the exterior of the prison, not improved the inside exercising grounds. As the inmates got loud, celebrating their one-hour term of outdoor exercises, the penitentiary hadn’t put the mandates into practice to this, very day. And they came up with an assortment of reasons for why they can’t do it, including, not enough space, not enough police forces to control the populations, the rain accumulating on the ground, forcing the activities to get, cancelled, etc., etc., etc.
Later on, I’d, thought back to how the managers looked, and I’d come to understand, what that’s about, knowing that the mandates had been legalized, but how hard it must’ve been, to implement. And yet, the inmates don’t know that that was, not going to happen, but, coming and going, there are, only, a handful of those still serving the time who’d, known about the mandates for the exercises now, plus, the existence of that was based off of reasons, and, after awhile, nobody challenges it.
And so, this paints a picture, of what it’s like, serving time in prison, you’re, limited in what you can do, at what time, with the guards, breathing down your necks at all times, and you needed to behave yourselves, to keep yourselves out of trouble, so you can have an easier time, serving the time, for whatever BAD deeds you’d done, and hopefully, this time in prison had taught you, what it felt like, to lose your freedom to do what you want, when you want, and hopefully, you’ll take that to mind, and NEVER break any more laws again. This is a more humanitarian management of the prison systems here.
Life, the Obstacle Course 