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Leisure Time

Interview with Kristen, Renee, Chad and Dennis

JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Kristen: The day room, which gave you access to games and a T.V., the yard, which had a track you could run/walk around and different games like volleyball, basketball, baseball, etc. I worked in the kitchen and loading dock, went to school for Building Trades, and sometimes went to church or aerobics.
Renee: There were several church groups, na and aa groups, but none were taken very seriously, so i chose not to go. They had a institution movie every night. Men could work, woman didnt work off the pod. In my time i played cards and watched tv. Not alot was offered.
Chad: There is a small enclosed area attached to the pod with a basketball hoop and an open air roof where you can go to get fresh air and shoot some hoops. You can also work out on your own doing push ups, sit ups, etc. Inmates are also given access to AA meetings, religious services, and they allowed movies to be shown on the TV if the inmates behave .
Dennis: Facilities next to none, the only time you got out of the pod was for gym once week and that was for basket ball or ping pong, oh and once a week you could go to the law library. Other than that there were books they put out once a week. Pretty much nothing but just to sit there and think about what a idiot you were to do what you did to get your self into trouble.

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce? Give details.
Kristen: Competition was fierce when it came to the T.V. and the newspaper. People would often fight over what to watch on T.V. and you are only allowed 15 minutes to read the newspaper, which you had to sign up for, because there was only one paper. It could be hours before you got to read it, so you had to sign up fast.
Renee: The entertainment was the tv. We had to agree upon the show, so alot of times we didnt get to watch what we wanted. In the general population area the tv was pointless. The corrections officers chose the channel and the tv couldnt be heard. We could play voll ball but the summer months are limited and winter is to cold, and you had to buy the proper clothing off commisary.
Chad: There is usually competition for the TV, newspaper, and good books. It is pretty easy to go into the recreation area and just shoot the ball around. I don't really watch TV, so it didn't bother me too much. I think it is stupid to fight about things like television.
Dennis: There was not much in the way of entertainment except to watch the other inmates. There were two televisions they were back to back about eight feet in the air bolted to a post in the middle of the pod but you couldnt hear them and yes there was always arguments about what to watch.

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Kristen: No, I lost a lot of weight actually. Portions were very small. And they usually give you enough time to work out...there was an aerobics class once a week with workout machines.
Renee: Yes, everyone there gained weight. My cell mate gained 80 pounds in 9 month. I myself gained 30 pounds. We dont get the chance to move around, and the food is always potatoes and pasta.
Chad: I didn't have a hard time staying in shape in jail. I was able to exercise, and I playing basketball helped too.
Dennis: I did yes because there was no exercise machines or weights. The so called "yard" was nothing more than a small little triangle shaped room with thirty foot walls and a basket ball hoop. Plus the food you buy on the commissary is nothing but junk food and candy plus they would give potatoes and bread with every meal so allot of starch and no fruit.

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?
Kristen: When your in isolation, you get 1 hour a day to go in a small cage outside and when you're not, you get to go out a couple times a day at certain times.
Renee: We would go outside when ever we werent locked in our cells. But the "gym" was so small that not many activities were able to be done. We had one indoor workout piece for pull ups, but not many woman wanted to use that, and it was on the pod infront of everyone.
Chad: "Outside" is considered the small enclosed recreation area I mentioned above. You can usually go in there any time the inmates are out on the block. You can shoot hoops, walk around, do pushups, etc.
Dennis: You could go out to their pitiful yard after eight in the morning for most pods but some would only allow you to go out once an hour. As far as exercise the only thing they had was a pull up bar or any thing you could do one your own like push ups.

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Kristen: They only offered a couple of denominations, the main one was Baptist and they were usually held 1-2 times a week.
Renee: The did offer several church services where outside people came in. I only went to one, im not religious and did not enjoy them.
Chad: The jail offers church services. They are not the same as going to church on the outside, but for those with a religious preference, it can be a good way to relieve some stress. They are usually held once a week.
Dennis: Yes they did and to the best of my knowledge they were a couple times a week. They varied from time to time depending on the quality of the service. Most of the services that they had that i went to were o.k. the pastor or deacon that would give them was dedicated most of the time.

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