This morning, as we waited in line for chow, we could see other inmates leaving the chow hall, being pulled aside and searched, forced to give up their smuggled cartons of milk or cinnamon buns still in their plastic wrappings. We were infuriated.
Technically, was are not supposed to bring food out of the chow hall, but the C.O.s turn a blind eye to it 99% of the time. They seem to agree the rule makes no sense. Every day, as we leave breakfast, they hand us bag lunches that we are required to eat in our dorms, (along with the bagfuls of food we buy at the canteen, stored in our lockers.) There is no hygiene issue; besides, prisoners, despite what you’d think, are notoriously clean. Our areas are swept and mopped four times a day, every day. We live in such close quarters that slovenliness by some is not tolerated by others, as it affects them directly.
When we asked around, it was figured out the C.O.s manning the chow line exit were from East Yard, where apparently catching the convict smuggling food is a favorite past-time. As it was at L.A. County Jail, which was particularly monstrous because we had only 3 minutes to eat, and we mostly smuggled out fruit we didn’t have time to consume in the chow hall, like oranges. These items were taken from us (although about half the time our smuggling was successful) to be thrown into the garbage, (Not even turned over to Citi Harvest or a Food Bank, simply thrown out.)
I’ve been told it’s not impossible that some Chino authorities are now reading this blog. If you are, I want to ask you what can possibly be the rationale behind the confiscation? Most of the time we bring food back to eat later; there are a lot of indigent inmates who don’t have access to canteen, and they get hungry, particularly at night. Some (like me) detest the 5x a week pseudo-baloney for lunch, or find some of the breakfast fare hard to eat first thing in the morning—but okay for lunch. Yes, sometimes smuggled breakfast buns, for example, might be traded for a tomato, or a few stamps, or even a cigarette. So what?
Is there a downside to this I’m not seeing? Then fine, EXPLAIN IT TO US. Nothing is ever explained in prison by the authorities, inmates must depend on their experience, hearsay and their assumptions. Is anyone really surprised that inmates conclude that food confiscation exists mostly because the officers get an obvious kick out of relieving the inmates of their paltry treasures? That they just wanna “show who’s boss” or, worse, just want to “be assholes?” Is this any way to earn the respect Corrections Officers so often complain they don’t get?
MCO 2004
P.S. Some good news. “Tank” left today. I found out he was a largely self-appointed tyrant/protector. Maybe now I can get my hair cut.
