Today is a rarity – Easter in March! It’s an early Easter, but unlike the early blooms of the Cherry Blossom trees, Easter will continue to follow a routine lunar schedule and be back to mid-April in the upcoming years. I hope had a celebratory Easter day surrounded by loved ones in celebration of the joy of spring, or if you’re Christian, the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation to us mere mortals 🙂 For me, this is another holiday away from family and friends, which brings a more profound message of anticipation of starting anew away from Morgantown.
This past week was full of excitement regarding a formal visit from two independent groups: Prison Rape and Elimination Act (affectionally known as PREA or said like a word, “prea”) Compliance Group and the American Correctional Association (ACA) with regard to prison standards and accreditation. The two groups look at safety compliance with policies and standards relating to their respective areas. Thankfully, the PREA stuff does not really become prevalent at a minimum security prison, which is more concerning at what we call “higher ups” or medium/high security prisons. Nonetheless, efforts are made to prevent and safeguard everyone (staff and inmates) from such situations.
The bigger of the visits is from the ACA people, who are looking into the safety, climate/culture, policies, and accrediting standards to ensure the prison operates as it should. The visits both started on Tuesday and concluded on Thursday, just before a welcomed Good Friday break. After finishing work on Tuesday, an ACA tour came through my unit and through my wing, which included an escort by the warden. The head ACA official stopped at my bunk and poignantly asked the following with my brief replies:
-“How’s the medical service?” The medical service could use some additional resources, but the dental services are superb.
-“How’s the food?” The food is excellent, and has improved over the past year.
-“Did the food get better because they knew we were coming?” No, the food has been progressive before your visit was announced.
-“How long have you been in RDAP?” I’m actually not in the programming, but have been waiting.
-“How long have you been waiting?” I’ve been waiting for 16 months, and am now the longest waiting inmate (trying to beg sympathy from the visitor and let him know that this circumstance was not the norm over the past year – I also acknowledged Warden Bayless and emphasized that the decision is solely with the regional office).
-“Do you feel safe?” I feel very safe.
The tour quickly moved on. I was happy to have had the impromptu feedback, but really hoped that I would’ve been called to share some better feedback in a more formalized way. I was not chosen by the ACA or the PREA lords to give any other feedback.
As a prison, we spent weeks preparing for this visit, which consisted of changing many, many light bulbs and fixing many, many receptacle outlets. The process did bring a sense of accomplishment and steady work. I was happy to be able to contribute to the safety of the prison. At the conclusion of the visit, I am not sure if we passed, but I will definitely let you know about any updates.
Baltimore experienced quite the serious situation of having the Key Bridge collapse. I am very saddened at the loss of life from this accident, and the loss of this important infrastructure for transporting goods. As you celebrate the joys of this spring season, please keep in mind those who have experienced profound loss, especially in the Ukraine, in Gaza, in the Sudan, and all over. Again, I hope you have/had a Hoppy Easter and experience a little miracle(s) this upcoming week.