Blarney Castle

The following is an excerpt from Part One:

H Hotel, more popularly called “Hell mod,” is the next fascinating block to reveal its untold pleasures. This block is larger than most in the north-side, newer section. It features sixty—rather than the standard forty—units designed with sliding electronic doors and no cable hookup or electrical outlets, for use as seg (segregation) cells. Seg cells are for the bad boys. “Administrative segregation” is the sophisticated lingo for solitary confinement. Now the mod is designated for new commits. The typical stay is from a day to a week, sometimes two.

I am moved from my first week-long location in E mod to N-Nancy because my new-found notoriety—compliments of C/Os, marshals, and the widely publicized bail hearing—agitates prisoners into a tizzy. My partner in “crime,” Sid, is being moved out of Hell. This is where he has spent his first two weeks. Our lawyer arranged court-ordered, protective custody (PC) which is located in a different building. We are encouraged by Captain Blarney to “roll with the punches.” Stay in a standard mod “for your own benefit.” We are instructed that we can override the requested court-order by signing a waiver.

That means that it is either too much trouble to arrange the transfer or, more likely, a budget strain. One thing I learn, even during my short introductory phase, is that nothing is contrived for the benefit of an inmate. The captain is coercive to a point that the message comes through loud and clear: insisting on PC is inviting self-inflicted misery. I agree to the former option of staying in a standard mod and they stick me in Hell, where the transients “won’t be as apt to notice you.” It is an interesting concept since they sure had no trouble noticing Sid, which I do not bother to point out to the illustrious captain. By now he was looking as though he wanted to send me to the guillotine.