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Interview with Scott, Carrie, John and Sophie

JM: Did you find it difficult to get along with other inmates? Please give examples to explain why you did or didn't.
Scott: no its pretty easy to get along with them. cause we pretty much are going through the same thing.
Carrie: I got along with most everyone. I think it was because I'm older. I'm 42. Most of the girls there in jail are very young 18 - 25. I felt they kind of looked up to me. There was some racial tensions.
John: First night there I was given a "fish kit" and thrown into a dark room were a large black man said hello. He was 6-10 I am 5 foot 5 so I was scared. We talked for a bit and I fell asleep. The next mornining I talked more with my cell mate and he told me the rules of the cell block and how shit works on the inside I have never been in jail before so I expected it to be like the movie american me so I FREAKED OUT. he asked me why I was in a federal detention center and I told him he laughed. and told me why a 6 foot 10 inch tall black man was in jail for computer hacking and credit card fraud....with his BOYFRIEND ON THE LAM...
Sophie: not really, was told repeatedly that I didn't belong there and that I got a "bum" deal with my representation... did a lot of reading, a lot of sleeping, didn't eat hardly anything, played a lot of cards

JM: What types of things did you have to do to avoid problems or fights with other inmates?
Scott: you have to follow the rules of your race or things could get out of hand. mostly its about respect.
Carrie: I had to bite my tongue many times, other words keep my mouth shut. There was one inmate that was a lesbian but she acted like a man. she would intimidate girls to get what she wanted. she always got to read the newspaper first, she always got to pick what we watched, she got the mop first... stuff like that.
John: I stayed with my "celly" for the first day to avoid issues. Others then talked to me and i did what I did in school to avoid issues. I told jokes and made everyone laugh with my talent of getting a topic and knowing a joke. The only problem was the AWFULL FOOD and boredom we passed the time playing board games and talking baseball with a guy who was a big Giants fan
Sophie: just kept to myself mostly reading or sleeping, befriended a few inmates or cell mates that I had seen through out the process, didn't start any problems with anyone and didn't take part in anyone else's problems... everyone just pretty much got along or moved to a different pod to avoid problems

JM: Were you able to choose an inmate as your cellmate if you knew one? How often would your cellmate(s) change?
Scott: no
Carrie: No you did not get to choose your cellmate. the longest I had the same cellmate was approximately 2 weeks. Out of the 3 months I was incarcerated I probably had 8 - 10 different cellmates.
John: I was not allowed to pick cellmates. at least one new guy would come in every day and one or 2 would leave daily. One day 2 guys got in a fight and one guy was taken someplace else were locked in our cells for 48 hours as punsishment I will always remember the horrible smells of that 48 hours
Sophie: no, was assigned a cellmate... changed cell mates multiple times while in central booking, changed cell mates 3 times once in Lerdo Pre-trial people were being released often, but not in my cell

Read about time off for good behavior in the Kern County Jail