I’m at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF), an institution in the Wisconsin Prison System (WPS), participating in the Earned Release Program (ERP). As soon as ERP social worker Ms. Grey got our group in session that morning, I immediately asked her about who were the guys with warrants. It has been the topic of conversation with us since she dropped that bomb the day before. Obviously, we’re making plans for our release in 21-31 days. Whoever of us have the warrants, it’s going to present a complication. Ms. Grey said the people were cellie Larry Sands and group member Augie Prescott. Sands had thought it was possible it was him but he reasoned it was a good thing as once he sits in Waukesha County Jail for the fine he owes he’ll actually get released before the rest of us will. For Prescott, it’s a little more complicated. His interstate compact had just been approved. How this will affect everything for him is unclear. But then Ms. Grey told him she wasn’t sure it was him, thus continuing the uncertainty. I’m not worried about this. But I feel for Prescott and Sands. We started out taking the test we took when we first started our ERP group. This time we corrected each others. I got 6 wrong. I don’t remember how I did last time. Then she announced our second test will actually have to wait. Apparently there are things we hadn’t covered yet so we couldn’t take the test. Two things of interest that happened in our morning session. First, former cellie Malik Pearl and one guy in his cell were the last ones left from the last graduating ERP class were moved to the ninth floor. Pearl’s paperwork hadn’t returned from the Brown County Judge involved after 14 days. They needed their beds for the incoming ERP class so off they went to the ninth floor. Man, I hope I don’t have issues like this when my time comes to get released! My paperwork will come back from a Winnebago County Judge so we’ll see. The second thing was a guy who slept in a bunk near me at Fox Lake Minimum Correctional Institution (FMCI) named Les Simon arrived. He played guitar there and I had been impressed with him as a person. After lunch he joined me at my table in the dayroom while I waited to go to the afternoon session. I got him up to speed on the routine here and he got me caught up on some of the stuff that had gone on there. It seems Percy had gotten him too, giving him 5 days bunk confinement for a petty offense there. The worship team doesn’t exist anymore after team members repeatedly stole instruments. They did put on a concert there that raised a lot of money for charity that included a Native American dance put together by my former bunkie prior his release in January. I’m sorry I missed that. But a lot of those I mentioned while I was there are gone. Ms. Greer continues to work hard for people there but she had to set some boundaries. Quite understandable. Far and away she was the best social worker I’ve encountered in my time in prison. In our afternoon session we watched the movie Omar and Pete, which I’ve seen on the institutional channel at FMCI. It was quite good, depicting the story of two inmates trying to stay out of prison. We got a 19 question worksheet on this movie due Monday. Afterwards, Ms. Grey had complained about not being able to find the pictures of the transformer for the graduation program. She took me to her office and it turned out all she had to do was scroll across the screen to see it. It was a little embarrassing. She printed it and said she’d bring it to be seen by us but she never came back. That night in the dayroom Les pulled me out into the dayroom to chat some more. That night new cellie Jose Michaels got taken to task by Larry Sands playing his radio out loud, after 11. I didn’t like it but I put in my earplugs. I’ve got 21 days to graduation. I’m not going to let stuff like this get to me.
Posts Tagged ‘Brown’
FMCI Revisited
Posted: December 6, 2011 in UncategorizedTags: Augie Prescott, beds, bomb, Brown, bunk, Compact, confinement, conversation, Correctional, County, Detention, Earned, ERP, Facility, FMCI, Fox, graduation, guitar, impressed, Institution, interstate, issues, Jail, Jose Michaels, judge, Lake, Larry Sands, Les Simon, Malik Pearl, Milwaukee, moved, Ms. Grey, MSDF, Omar and Pete, paperwork, Percy, plans, Prison, Program, project, radio, Release, routine, Secure, System, team, Test, Transformer, warrant, Waukesha, Winnebago, Wisconsin, worship, WPS
ERP On The Ropes
Posted: January 28, 2011 in UncategorizedTags: Andre, brain, Brown, bunk, cell, Challenge, coordinator, Courtney, crew, December, Detention, didn, Evaluation, Forget, Gerrish, Health, history, incarceration, inmate, inmates, Institution, Jeff, life, Malik, Malike, member, Milwaukee, MSDF, Pearl, policy, Prison, Program, psychiatrist, rehabilitation, Release, Ropes, Secure, System, ticket, violations, Wagner, Wisconsin, younger
I’m a the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF), an institution in the Wisconsin Prison System (WPS), participating in the Earned Release Program (ERP). The media mistakenly keep calling this program “Early Release Program” thinking that is what ERP stands for. It doesn’t. I stands for “Earned Release Program”. Got that cleared up? Good. 🙂 Well, last night was horrid for me, not just because of the usual reasons, but the mattress that was on my bunk when I got here was extremely thin so my back is extremely sore. I figure I’ll eventually get used to it. Forget about asking for a new one, you’ll just get laughed at. The other 3 cellies went to program about 8 but Andre returned about 10. It seems the program coordinator had seen him wearing his shower shoes instead of the standard issue blue slippers, said something to him about it, another younger inmates laughed at him, and he snapped at him, then at the coordinator, who then told him to go to his cell for the rest of the day. Andre was very worried they’d give him a ticket for disrespecting staff and that he might get kicked out of ERP for this. He also has had a history of a lot of warnings for various violations. He reminded me a lot of me as he paced the floor and how the anxiety junkie completely ruled him at this point. As it turned out, he was stressed for nothing, not even getting a warning. Andre felt like he needed to stop being friendly with other inmates as it is what seemed to give this younger inmate a license to “act the fool with him”. But I filed all of this in my brain as what not to do once I start on December 13th. The psychiatrist of the jail stopped by our cell asking how we were doing. Malike Pearl asked what would happen if he went back on his meds. She replied he’d be dropped from the program and moved to another floor. I didn’t know that about Malik. But I’ve covered what I think of this blanket policy. The staff member who did the evaluation yesterday brought the mental health information on Brown County for when I get out. It was good she didn’t forget.
On TMJ4 today, Jeff Wagner, Courtney Gerrish and crew talked about how they wanted to see the ERP eliminated because someone high on heroin killed someone else, and they had graduated from the ERP. I wonder if they know these are the only programs I know of (Challenge Incarceration Program as well) that actually pretend to do any kind of rehabilitation. I wonder if they read this blog. I wish they would as they would see life isn’t always black and white. But I’m praying I sleep better tonight and thank God for getting me into ERP when he did. I’m not sure it’ll be here all that much longer.
Minimum No More
Posted: January 26, 2011 in UncategorizedTags: Andre, Another, Anytime, assistance, bathroom, bottom, Brian, Brown, bunk, carton, cell, cellie, Charles, chest, classes, container, Correctional, cost, December, Detention, door, environment, Evaluation, exception, FMCI, guys, haven, Health, inmate, inmates, Institution, Jackson, juice, lady, Lawyer, Malik, Milwaukee, Minimum, MSDF, outlet, Pearl, Prison, privacy, Program, Release, relief, Secure, System, tier, Truth, upside, Whalen, Wisconsin
I’m at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility (MSDF), an institution in the Wisconsin Prison System (WPS), participating in the Earned Release Program (ERP). Anytime I’m in a new environment it’s a hard time for me and this is no exception. But I am trying. I’m back in a place again where we have to stand for count which means we fall out about 6:30 am and stand in front of our door. I got yelled at for not having my arms laying at my side instead of folded against my chest. We have to be silent and be wearing the yellow smock. I was told the days of hot breakfasts were over and they were right. It was a plastic container of cocoa puffs, a carton each of grape juice and milk. I returned to my cell. All I really wanted to do was sleep. Another thin I’m going to have to get used to is you can’t get caffeinated coffee off canteen anymore. It’s just as well, there’s no microwave to warm up water. On the upside because my ERP program doesn’t start until December 13th, I get to spend some actual time alone as the other 3 had to go to their classes. I haven’t done that since leaving Jackson Correctional Institution (FMCI). A couple hours later a lady came by to do the mental health evaluation that they apparently do for each inmate. I was mostly honest, once I made sure my answers wouldn’t get me kicked out of ERP. She offered to look for information for free and low cost mental health assistance in Brown County for when I get out, as she only knew anything about what Milwaukee County offered as the vast majority of inmates here are from there. I went to the bathroom afterwards and saw this wasn’t fun either. They have 2 toilets on my tier, both with no privacy. Not to my liking at all. At this point, I’m praying for a quick end to the next 6 months. My cellies came back from program a bit later. The one on bottom bunk by me is a large guy named Brian Whalen, who today is upset with his lawyer for keeping his entire fee and he felt he hadn’t earned it. I can relate. He provides a lot of comic relief to the other guys. My cellie on the top bunk on the other side is Malik Pearl, a young guy who feeds off my other cellie Andre Charles. They both seem like pretty good guys. They are in the middle of their programs and often come back talking up a storm about it. I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about them as time goes on. In all honesty, I’m not doing so good but I’m glad I have you all as an outlet to help organize my thoughts. Truth is everywhere. I’ve gone in prison, its been out of my comfort zone and i adjusted and found ways to cope and I’m sure this will be no different. Pretty sure anyway.
Life in Wisconsin Prisons and Beyond 