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Leisure Time

Interview with Zach, Trevor, Andy, Adam, Wesley, Jackie, Ruth, Kristal and Chris

JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Zach: TV or books, if you are able to get a book.
Trevor: nothing.
Andy: On 3West 100 or 200 pod we're working anywhere from 4-10 hours depending on your job so that helps to past the time. But I think we get rec time one hour a week to play basketball.
Adam: Working out, exercise out on the yard, lifting weights, cleaning, in place cardio, chatting with the homies I knew, reading and writing letters to my family on the outside, working on my appeal, trying to write a letter to my ex, and staying out of trouble and trying to get time off
Wesley: The places I spent most of my leisure time was spent in yard playing handball, lifting weights, walking the yard with other inmates, going to the library, attended class in a classroom, tv room, play cards, gym, work, church, canteen, visits, phone calls, mail delivered and sent from you to someone outside the jail,
Jackie: you get your dayroom in your pod that would have some tables in it and two tvs to watch whatever was on, we didnt get to choose what we got to see. every 2 or 3 weeks they will let us out for outdoor rec where we can walk around or shoot basketball
Ruth: Their were NA as as meetings as well as church and school you also got outdoor rec once a week and day room once a day if your lucky as well as books and TV in your pod you could also purchase games and cards if you want and drawing things or get books sent to your from family
Kristal: Downtown the dayroom was all that was offered(TV, SHOWERS, WALKING AROUND, PHONES ETC) or even a little sports outside. At the Branch there groups we could attend, or school classes we could take. Other than that sitting on our bunk reading a book was the easiest way to pass time.
Chris: There was not a whole lot of choices on what to do to pass the time, it was either playing cards, dominoes, reading if you were able to get a book, church services, sometimes tv and cleaning your cell to pass the time. There was a lot of sleeping always

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce? Give details.
Zach: Yeah, for the most part.
Trevor: no entertainment at all
Andy: 2 TV's in our pod and everyone mostly enjoy what was showing at the time.
Adam: Not regular cause it was only a few slow computers in the library and it was always a line and time limits for the people. There would be arguments about time and who got more time and who was not allowed to use it and why cant we get more time
Wesley: you watched tv in a cell and you could also have a radio. You can have books and magazines and news papers from the vendor brought to you in your cell. There was no breaks given in the respect of things like if you missed any of your phone time that you signed up for, you couldnt get back.
Jackie: they would try their best to leave the tvs on throughout the day that we can watch from the window of our cell, otherwise you have to wait until dayroom to go out and listen to the tv when it was on for us to watch whatever was playing at the time
Ruth: Yes you had access to entertainment but you have to take turns with everything people got along enouth to share books and what not but sometimes h harder with the TV cuz everyone wanted to watch something different but other then that it was pretty easy to gain access .
Kristal: I'm not sure what kind of entertainment is being discussed here. We didnt have any type of entertainment nor did we compete against each other. The jail was pretty strict about what we could and couldnt do. We played volleyball and that was our form of entertaining ourselves. True story. For real.
Chris: It was always a fight over what to watch, and sometimes we could not turn stations at all it was in the control of the officers. Sometimes we could sign up for a certain program at a certain time but that was if we even got to come out of our cell

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Zach: No, I do many, many push-ups. Push-ups sit-ups, walking around the pod 100 laps each time you are able to get out of the cell.
Trevor: no. personal exercise helps pass long hours of every day seeming no different then the day before IF YOU HAVE NO MONEY ON YOUR BOOKS YOU STARVE AS DINNER IS SERVED BETWEEN 3-430 PM.
Andy: They don't have any weight sets, so all you can really do is push ups and pull ups from the bar they have right outside the pod.
Adam: Not really though because I was lifting and cardio and doing exercise and not eating that much so I was keeping lean
Wesley: I was in excellent health while locked up. We played handball, walked around tiers and the yards and lifted weights
Jackie: yes it is very hard to stay in shape, especially for those who live off the junk food commissary all week, no nutrition in any of it.
Ruth: No I didn't I would work out doing burpees but most the time I worked out so I could keep warm but when I was on an anti depresent I did gain alot but once I was off it I lost all of it
Kristal: Yes of course. I blew up like a blimp. sleeping and eating the time was not cool. Not to mention all the soy product they served us.
Chris: It was hard to stay in shape and healthy because not a lot of fruits and vegetable, and not a lot of exercise.

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?
Zach: 30 minutes about once a week
Trevor: ONCE every two to three days for one hour
Andy: 1 hour a week maybe?
Adam: once a day for like 30 minutes for yard time if we behaved and if not, in place cardio in the cell or push ups and sit ups
Wesley: I went out at in the yard in he morning and could say outside for up to 6 hours every day. lockdown you did pushups.
Jackie: it was very rare that we got to go outside, we were lucky to get it every other week but we would sometimes only get it every three weeks. we were allowed to play with the basketballs out there that were practically deflated. some women would walk around the court over and over again. there wasnt anyone out there to direct us in activity.
Ruth: We were allowed outside once a week and when we went out side wed mostly walk laps or play basketball or stand their looking outside at the street or upstairs for the boys
Kristal: Outside priveldges were throughuot the whole day excluding between 11pm-5am. I would either walk laps around the yard or play volleyball or read a book.
Chris: It was not very often that we got to go out side. We could go weeks without going out side. It was nice just to get air. I would do my own exercises in my cell

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Zach: Yes, in day room on thursday night for one hour
Trevor: yes. once a week, for an hour.
Andy: They did I don't remember for how long though.
Adam: Im not religious and not down with that but it was a chaplain and sunday service if people wanted and stuff
Wesley: Yes there was a catholic, ramadon? for muslims, jewish, and many other faiths, all were held on Sundays at different times
Jackie: yes, church was offered once a week, every pod had a different day of the week to go and each pod took turns with upper teir and lower teir. church service was an hour long and the lady that organized out service had been around so long volunteering that she has obvious signs of dementia and would talk circles and barely get anywhere with her bible study. i would have goten more out of it with someone else directing the book study.
Ruth: Yes they did have bile study and it was held once a week and we would all go to the classroom and sing and learn the bilbe
Kristal: There was Church on Sunday mornings, and bible studuy one night out of the week. It was always voluntary participation.
Chris: There were church services, and that was always something to look forward to also, volunteers would come in to the jail.

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