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Leisure Time

Interview with Nicole, Toby, Donald, Manuel, Jimmie, Jack, David, Rhonda, Paul, Mike, Leo and Liz

JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Nicole: church, classes, games, books.
Toby: Chess, Hearts, Pinnocle. No weights because Oklahoma doesn't want you being stronger than their fat assed guards.
Donald: There was a TV that was turned on at times. Between then you could read or play cards. There was always time to do push ups and pull ups if you wanted to do them. There wasnt much else to do to pass the time except sleep. Thats what I did.
Manuel: There were Books and you could request books from library they gad 2 tvs in main units a concrete rec yard where they played hand ball you could buy cards or dominos and play at the tables or write letters to family and friends and alot of people would walk back and forth on the top run
Jimmie: Not much books, television, cards, dominoes, an outside area but it was small and you could not see out side it was four walls with a open roof well there were bars on it but you could see the sky not much to do cards was the big thing or dominoes but you had to buy them off commissary
Jack: not much to help pass the time. you can read books but you dont get to go to the library. They have t.v. you can watch. There is regular service with different preachers. You can also play card games or board games such as chess and checkers connect for. Play hand ball. I dont know
David: The only thing I new was available was wacthing tv playing cards reading books that was it not much else to do in jail unless you one of those jail drama queens trying,to stir up a bunch of unessasary drama and start fights and whatever is on their agenda so
Rhonda: play cards watch tv that you could not here or sometimes go outside to the cage.
Paul: Out door handball, cards if bought, books, t.v
Mike: Books, board games, handball. Exercise equipment was no longer provided in Tulsa county. We played scrabble, card games. Reading was a big portion in addition with limited reading material. Support groups were also available.Televisions were made available but only two per pod (about 75-100 people per pod) to watch two televisions.
Leo: going to church
Liz: There was not much to do AT ALL! ! They are on a very, very tight budget at david l moss. The only thing there was to do was play basketball or sit off to the side and talk. . I chose to sit alone and think by myself to avoid people.

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce? Give details.
Nicole: there was regular access to books.
Toby: The only way to enjoy anything on TV is by appointing a Pod God to call a vote on what is watched. People in prison have notoriously low IQ's so you can expect to watch a lot of dumb crap if you aren't level 4 and can't afford your own TV or they are not allowed on the yard.
Donald: No I didnt have access to anything except the TV when it was turned on. Someone controled the TV so it just came on and I would watch it for a short time. I dont know what the long timers had. I didnt see them doing anything else to pass the time.
Manuel: There was 2 tvs for around hundred inmates so it was hard to watch what you wanted to some people would fight over the Chanel's then it was usually to loud to hear it good enough to really watch a show on Friday and Saturday the would sometimes play a movie for everyone
Jimmie: there was one or Two tvs to a pod so watching a show was not always easy with @ 100 inmates to a pod it gets loud at times in there and good books are cherished and passed around but not a real big selection to choose from they had sign up sheet s for the tvs but no one used them
Jack: Well most people watched t.v. during the day. I guesss there was a lot of competition but no one really got mad. I't was usually a group decesion like a democracy. As far as the games go you have to buy your own games or just jump in with some one. It wasnt bad.
David: I had no say so over the tv which was pretty much the source of entertainment I no one of,the tvs stayed on the hispanice channel I think all,the time but as I said it was 90% hispanic so thats just how it is to be exspected I,guess you could say
Rhonda: watching T.V. was crazy cause you cant hear it and then they would fight over what you watch .
Paul: Yes the access was regular and at any time. There was hardly any competition for the entertainment accept for the seating.
Mike: As mentioned, televisions were available. Usually, the programs watched were dictated by the majority. Other times, the more vocal, stronger inmates make it clear that it was what they wanted to watch that will be viewed. Handball was also usually limited to the best players. Other clicks also formed for scrabble, etc.
Leo: none
Liz: No we did not have regular access to entertainment. There was a tv but usually the same people watched it every day and I do not like being social or being around people, especially people that I do not know at all. They always had arguments over the remote control.

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Nicole: no.
Toby: No. You have plenty of time to do isometric workouts. try to work up to 2000 pushups per day
Donald: I could have done some short sprints. Plus push ups and sit ups. I could have done this in my area.
Manuel: There is a lot of people that have good workout routines the do a lot of push ups and improvise for other hints like back arms on railing or a chair and a lot of walking
Jimmie: yes I gained weight there is not a lot you can do walking in a circle pretty much pacing back and forth or sit ups and those type exercises
Jack: You deffenitly need to get a work out routine down. As long as you dont just sit on your rack all day you can stay in shape.
David: I wasnt in long enough for that to be an issue this last time but on previous stays yes very much so I didnt even have a razor to shave not much,to eat either
Rhonda: Yes with all the starch they feed you.
Paul: No
Mike: There were not any exercise equipment provided. Walking was a big pastime. In addition, improvisation utiliziing various hand rails and the sort were used as makeshift pull up bars, etc.
Leo: no
Liz: No. I lost weight while I was in there because I refused to eat. I did not feel comfortable there.

JM: How often did you get to go outside? What did you do outside if you were allowed to? If you were not allowed to go outside what could you do for exercise?
Nicole: there is an excercise yard.
Toby: Depends on the question of whether we are talking county jail or prison. In county they have these little rooms with wire mesh on top. The only way you can see the sky is by looking straight up and hoping to catch a cloud drifting by or something, There are no windows in county so you become very pale. All you can do is walk in circles and count. You will learn to do a lot of that and memory exercises. In prison however, you are forced out of the building and cannot even sit on your rack during the day. You have to be outside at all times even if you do not have a job outside. If you are an orderly (cleaner) inside, you do your job then get outside. The only time this changes is when the temperature is above 100 or below 32 degrees.
Donald: What ever my imagination could think of. I did not go outside while I was there. But I see other trying to excerise in there own way.
Manuel: You could go out in the rec yard if it wasn't count time in the main units or one hour a day in the seg units but not really outside it was a concrete room with a bared roof so you could get some fresh air and sun
Jimmie: only got to go outside to go to court, they did have an outside area but it really wasn't outside just had a barred ceiling some people would play hand ball but you could get a little fresh air
Jack: They had a small room that had no celing but it wasnt really out side. But it is available during lights on except for bad weather days
David: I have never ben let outside ever in any time I have ever ben in jail and the longest I have ben locked up was almost a month
Rhonda: If the weather permitted everyday, just set nothing to really do but breath in fresh air.
Paul: Everyday, handball, prayed, exercised
Mike: You were allowed out on any of your free time. The problem was that the siz of the area outside was about 40' by 60' and the walls surrounding it were greater than 20 feet high providing no view whatsover.
Leo: we just worked out inside doing push ups
Liz: We only went out side probably once a day and I did not do any thing for exercise! I wanted to be left alone in there.

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Nicole: yes. not sure.
Toby: Plenty of bible thumping in jails and prisons.. It seems everyone finds god in jail and leaves him there when they leave. I have never seen so many ordained ministers and doctorates of divinity from Universal Life church as while incarcerated. Inmates seem to think they can take a bang load of bible courses and get a parole board to believe they went from sinner to saint. Prison is also a big Muslim recruiting ground and a lot of black go by arabic names and insist on special diets and wear kufus
Donald: Church services were given to me. I guess I wasnt there long enough. I would have gone if it were.
Manuel: Yes they offered a few different church services a week and some of the inmates would have prayer meetings and bible study's
Jimmie: yes they had weekly church services outside ministry's would come in to the pod some times more then once a week
Jack: Yes. A preacher would come in and we would all pile into the confernce room or what ever it was called. It was limited space.
David: I dont no I can not give yoy a anser they didnt or have never offered it to me so I dont no
Rhonda: We had a lot of outside churches come in all the time and they were good.
Paul: Yes I did not attend
Mike: Most denominations were offered. THe most available were Christian based. They were held by various outside religious groups within the community.
Leo: yes on sundays
Liz: Yes the jail offered church service but I did not ever go so I don't know what they were like. They were held sunday morning and night if I remember right.

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