December 9, 2014
Doing Time
The Prisoner in front of me in the chow line asks ” How long You been down (in prison)?” I reply, “2 months”. He replies, ” Hell, You just a rookie at Doing Time”
Unfortunately, He is correct. I am just beginning to understand the monotony of “Doing Time”. People approach doing time in many different ways. There are the “Sleepers”, who spend as much time as possible in their bunks asleep. Their theory is if you are asleep, you do not know you are in prison. Another group is the “workout Guys”. They spend hour after hour each day at the weight pile and on the track. Obviously, this group becomes very fit while they engage in an activity that seeks to reduce the stress associated with being a prisoner.
Next, you have the television junkies who watch television 12 hours per day, interrupted only by meals and prisoner counts. In essence, they are practicing to become the ultimate couch potatoes in their post prison lives.
Another small, but popular group is the “law library” guys. They spend every day in the law library filing motions and appeals to contest their sentences and convictions long after any possible hope for relief has expired. They read every new case that comes down and look for some way to escape their obvious fate.
The goal I set before coming to Prison with Justin was to maintain my physical health and my mental health so I could emerge from my sentence in the best possible position to reenter the workforce in some capacity. I exercise everyday but I do not overdue it. I read and write everyday as well. I try to watch the television news every evening so I can stay abreast of events taking place in the real world.
Staying busy is a key factor in “Doing Time”. Despite my calculated efforts to stay busy, Time can and does grind to a halt on many occasions. I am going to continue to tweak my “Doing Time ” Recipe, as anything I can do to expedite the time it takes to get back to my family, is time well spent!
Ken Flaska
