August 30, 2014
Part of being in prison is paying an inmate with access to your laundry to ensure that your clothes aren't stolen and their washed with the proper amounts of soap, folded correctly so that they don't get all wrinkled up, etc. A laundry porter is a job assignment through the prison much like everything else, so not every inmate can do it all hours of the day. Here at Madison we do have limited access to the washers and dryers, enabling an inmate to do his own laundry, but if you don't want your laundry stolen you must remain in the laundry room for the entire process, which is nearly impossible because it's a small room and you have to get out of the way for the laundry porters and other inmates to move around. I have had the same laundry porter wash my clothes the entire time I've been here, but I'm very close to finding another man for the job. I have done nothing but good for this man and he continues to try and take advantage of me, always asking for a payment advance among other things. I try to keep a good attitude with this guy, yet he continues to test my patience as well as my good character. I think because he sees I'm a nice guy that stays out of trouble and to myself that I must be some kind of fool or a pushover. I've paid this man three months in advance so far and he continues to ask me for things. I finally told him that I wasn't going to give him anymore until we're even which is three months away. Now I think he's shorting me on my laundry detergent by taking some detergent out when I give him my laundry, my clothes aren't getting folded as properly as they use to and I'm pretty sure he's switching my dryer sheets out with old ones. This is classic actions of a criminal, displaying drug addict behavior, clearly not caring about other people and only about himself. Just being able to write this in my blog has allowed me to process the information clearly enough to realize it's time to cut all ties and find a new laundry porter.
