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Leisure Time

Interview with Andrew and Jeremy

JM: What types of facilities were available to help pass the time?
Andrew: There was one TV in the rec yard. They had weights and a basketball court.
Jeremy: Yard courts. There was nothing like it in any prison anywhere else in NYS. It was a small taste of freedom, in a way. They had small plots of land in an old rock quarry that up to 6 inmates could "own", and you could build fires, cook, make furniture to sit on, etc. You really can't get it unless you see the set up.

JM: Did you have regular access to the entertainment or was competition fierce? Give details.
Andrew: The TV was usually held hostage by one guy. This would be a guy who would have been in for 30 years or something like that. What he wanted to watch is what you watched.
Jeremy: No competition, movies on weekends, sports on the sand flats, bassitbawl on the hill top. We had some skis and ice skates in the winter. This is true, my hand to God.

JM: Did you have a hard time staying in shape while in jail?
Andrew: What I couldn't do in the rec yard, I did in my cell. Lots of pushups and calisthenics.
Jeremy: No, worked out with the biker crew.

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?
Andrew: They kept it simple. Only gave you time that was required by law. One hour. You take a chance risking your life going out in that yard with five hundred inmates walking around. You don't know who is carrying a shank in thier pocket. Often they hide it in the sand. They see somebody they got a beef with and they kick around to find the weapon and then use it.
Jeremy: Sometimes 2 times a day for many hours. If you had to do MAX SEC. time, Clinton was the place to be.

JM: Did the jail offer church services? If so, what were they like and when were they held?
Andrew: The church was built by Lucky Luciano himself when he was up there. Built and paid for. It's a stand alone building. Here's the thing, I saw inmates stab each other to death during church services. Something like that happens and they lock you in there while all that fighting and stabbing is going on. You can't get out. That's going to put you in a real bad state of shock that you can never forget something like that.
Jeremy: Yes, St. Dismas Church. It was beautiful. A shining diamond in a Max A facility.

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