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Leisure Time

Interview with Cyle, Caesar, Liz, Samuel, Nick and Teresa

JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Cyle: Nothing, a blanket and terrible food.
Caesar: In the pod there was an outside rec area. Maybe 12 x 12. Ppl smoked there and played handball.
Liz: you can buy cards or games off commisary, watch tv, smoke, or read. There is a small room with books to pick from in your barrack/pod.
Samuel: The yard with nothing in it
Nick: none just sit and wait or sleep or exercise or if i could find someone nice to talk to which was very very rare there is nothing to do ever except wait wait wait and more waiting it is so extremely boring in the cell there is nothing to do
Teresa: There was a library there where I could check out books to read. There was also a basketball court there to play on. There is a television in the general population cell that we could watch television on. Other than that you could just sleep or exercise on your own.

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce? Give details.
Cyle: There was no entertainment.
Caesar: One could play cards (but no kind of gambling), watch tv, read books (poor selection) or play the ps2. The competition was ok, ppl didn't really fight over either of the things. There was a kind of system as to who controlled what for how long.
Liz: the tv was normally on certain channels and the schedule is pretty much set by what the majority wants.
Samuel: Cable board games and xbox
Nick: the hispanics controlled the tv, no use trying or they would be a fight. They actually told everyone not to even try to ask for the television or there would be trouble and pain for them to just let them control the television and there would be no problems and to stay quiet
Teresa: Usually the guards picked what we got to watch if there was a overwhelming number of inmates that wanted to watch the same thing usually the guards would adhere. Television time though was very limited as it could not come on until a certain time, and would have to go off at a certain time.

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Cyle: -
Caesar: I lost weight, cuz the food was horrible. One could only do pushups and crunches in the pods. Same thing for the barracks, only in there, they had a pull up/dip station.
Liz: no, the food sucks and theres nothing better to do than work out sometimes
Samuel: Yes no equipment
Nick: no, either sleep watch hispanic tv or exercise or sit or pray or lay down and just wait wait and more waiting
Teresa: No I did not have a hard time staying in shape while in jail as that is one of the few things you can do to pass the time.

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?
Cyle: Never.
Caesar: In the pod. ALl day long, from breakfast till sleep time (10pm). Once a trustee, and you're put in the barracks, they had rec time which was once every 2-3 days, I'm not sure, cuz i never went.
Liz: rec for barracks was mon wed and fri for 1h in evening
Samuel: Every 2-3 days in barracks
Nick: there is no outside at this jail, just exercise in the cell or sleep or exercise or talk if i found someone nice enough to talk to
Teresa: You were allowed to go into what basically can be described as a large room with four walls, but an open ceiling covered by chain linked fence, this room had basketball hoops and and area for smoking.

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Cyle: I don't know.
Caesar: Yes, 2 times a week, i believe. I never went.
Liz: yes, but i never went
Samuel: Yes once a week
Nick: no there were no church services, there were no bibles given to read, there was nothing to do except wait
Teresa: There were church services offered to inmates that chose to participate. As I remember it, it was an hour long service with a volunteer preacher held on thursdays.

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