ONE THING FOR CERTAIN, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, I AM VERY SENSITIVE ABOUT WHAT I SAY OR WRITE IN RESPECT TO CONSIDERING THE LARGER PICTURE. BY THAT, I MEAN THAT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS AND THE RAMIFICATIONS OF WHAT I MIGHT HAVE TO SAY.

IN EARLIER TIMES, I WOULD EXPRESS MYSELF WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR OTHERS AND I’D PRETTY WELL LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY. BUT NOW, I AM CONCERNED WITH MORE THAN VENTING STEAM FOR A SIMPLE PSYCHOLOGICAL CATHARSIS.

THIS IS SOME KIND OF BY-PRODUCT OF THE OBSERVATION TALE ABOUT AN OLD OWL WHO LIVED IN A BIT TALL OAK...

THE MORE HE HEARD, THE LESS HE SPOKE...

THE LESS HE SPOKE, THE MORE HE LISTENED...

THE MORE HE LISTENED, THE MORE HE LEARNED...

SO SOMETIMES, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH AN ONGOING INTERNAL MESSAGE ABOUT, "ARE ALL THE FACTS IN? IS THIS UNDERSTANDING WELL—ROUNDED? SO SOMETIMES I FEEL INHIBITED ABOUT EXPRESSING MY OPINIONS, AS I AM ABOUT TO DO HERE.

MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR THE FIRST TIME FIND THEY MUST ADJUST TO NEW REALITIES. NEW REALITIES COMPRISED OF NEW DEFINITIONS AND NEW UNDERSTANDINGS IMPOSED BY THE PRISON ENVIRONMENT.

AND IN ALL THIS, THERE IS NO SIMPLISTIC CRITERION TO BE CONSIDERED IN A CLASSROOM SETTING, WHERE YOU AT LEAST HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CIVILIZED QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS.

THE ONE SAYING THAT COMES THE CLOSEST TO DESCRIBING THE GENERAL LAY OF THE LAND IN PRISON——IN MY OPINION——IS, "THERE’S THE RIGHT WAY, THE WRONG WAY, AND THE MARINE CORPS WAY." THUS,, THERE IS THE RIGHT WAY, THE WRONG WAY, AND THE PRISON WAY. WHILE IN PRISON, IT WOULD BEHOOVE THE AVERAGE "DENIZEN" TO ADHERE TO THE PRISON WAY. I SAY "DENIZEN" RATHER THAT CITIZEN BECAUSE THE LIKENESS TO ANIMALS IS NOT WITHOUT MERIT IN A PRISON SETTING.

I’M GOING TO STOP RIGHT HERE, AND GIVE EXAMPLE OF WHAT I MEAN ABOUT "OPINIONS" BECOMING RAMPANT ALREADY I’M GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT INMATES ARE ANIMALS. THAT SOME INMATES BECOME LIKE ANIMALS IN THEIR BEHAVIORS IS CERTIFIABLE. BUT TO GENERALIZE THAT "INMATES" ARE ANIMALISTIC IS A STEP TOO FAR, ME THINKS. SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME IF I GET CARRIED AWAY WITH INADVERTANT GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT PRISON LIFE AND INMATES.

FOR THE RECORD:

SOME INMATES ARE WHOLE PERSONS WITH CARING SOULS, WHO DO NOT DEGENERATE BECAUSE OF UNTOWARD PRISON EXPERIENCES AND COUNTER—CULTURAL VALUES. BLAH! IN OTHER WORDS SOME INMATES DON’T GET ALL SCREWED-UP BECAUSE OF BEING IN THEJOINT.

HOWEVER, MANY MORE DO BECOME TWISTED THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT IN THE PRISON SETTING. MY FOCUS WILL BE ON THE LARGER GROUP OF INMATES WHO ARE ALTERED NEGATIVELY BY THEIR PRISON EXPERIENCE THERE!

I’VE QUALIFIED MY OPINION TO A MORE CREDIBLE DEGREE. NOW, ON TO THE MEAT OF MY SUBJECT!

IT WOULD SEEM THAT PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEMSELVES TO BE DESPISED DO WELL TO LOOK DESPISING AND CONTEMPTUOUS. TO ASSERT THIS, IT IS HELPFUL TO ALSO SOUND DESPISING AND CONTEMPTUOUS. PRISON IS PRIMARILY A HOTBED OF OVER—POPULATION WHERE THE FRICTION OF TIGHTLY PACKED LIFE REEKS WITH EMOTION.

LOUD, RAUCOUS VOICES AND OBNOXIOUS LAUGHTER MOCK THE SANE AND CIVILIZED GUARDS AND INMATES. THE PERSON WHO IS MOCKED NATURALLY LEARNS TO FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER, AND EVENTUALLY BEGINS TO ACT LIKE ONE. THIS DOES INCREASE THE PREJUDICE AGAINST THE PERSON AND INTENSIFIES THE RESENTMENT, CONTEMPT, AND HOSTILITY OF THE HATEFUL ONES WHO DEFINE PERCEIVED DEFECTS OF THE ONES WHO ARE MOCKED.

THIS INCREASES THE SENSE OF BEING ALIEN AND ALONE.

When this occurs with guards, THE GUARDS EITHER QUIT THEIR JOB OR CHANGE POSITIONS AWAY FROM GENERAL INMATE POPULATIONS, OR THE GUARD BECOMES BELLIGERANT AND CAUSTIC TO COMPENSATE FOR THE MOCKERY AND RIDICULE ENDURED PREVIOUSLY. INMATES VIEW THIS TYPE OF CHANGE AS THE GUARD HAVING "WISED—UP."

WHEN THE PERSON SUBJECTED TO EARLY MOCKERY WAS AN INMATE THE REACTION RANGED FROM EXTREME INTROVERSION TO AN EVENTUAL EMULATING OF THE RUDE AND OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIORS OF THE ANTAGONISTS.

RECENTLY IN CORRECTIONS THERE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A MOVE TOWARD "HOMOGENIZING" THE INMATE POPULATION IN REGARD TO AGE GROUPS. THERE SEEMS TO BE A THEORY THAT SEGREGATING PRISONS BY AGE GROUPINGS HAD BECOME COUNTER—PRODUCTIVE TO MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL CONCERNS. IT SEEMED THAT IF YOU HAD A PRISON FULL OF YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS, SUCH AS IN REFORMATORIES, SUCH A POPULATION WOULD LOGICALLY HAVE VERY MUCH IN COMMON IN RELATION TO VALUES AND SYMPATHETIC TO ISSUES OF YOUTHFUL CONCERN. THERE WOULD BE A HIGHER RATE OF "UNITY" AMONG SUCH PRISONERS IN MATTERS OF RESISTANCE AND REVOLT.

THE SAME OF MIDDLE-AGED GROUPS, AND WITH OLD AGE GROUPS, IF THEY WERE SEGREGATED IN THAT ACCORD. MIXING OF THE AGE GROUPS ADDED A DIVERSITY OF INTERESTS AND VALUES WHICH WERE MOSTLY IN OPPOSITION, AND IN LINE WITH THE NATURAL ORDER OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.

YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE FUN AND REBEL AGAINST RULES.

MIDDLE-AGED GROUPS ARE USUALLY IN CONTROL WITH THE PRISON SYSTEM’S RULES AND REGULATIONS THROUGH COMPROMISE. THIS GROUP HAS LEARNED TO "USE" THE SYSTEM THROUGH ADAPTATION AND MANIPULATION, AND THEY DON’T TOLERATE "KIDS" ROCKING THE BOAT AND MESSING UP BUSINESS.

OLD MEN HAVE USUALLY GIVEN IN TO THE TENETS OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS BECAUSE THEY NEED AND ENJOY THE PEACE THAT COMES WITH CONFORMITY TO THE PRISON AUTHORITY’S RULES AND PROCEDURES.

SO, WHEN YOU HAVE THREE GENERALLY OPPOSED VALUE SYSTEMS TRYING TO FUNCTION "SARDINE CAN CRAMPING QUARTERS," STYLE, YOU FIND THAT INSTEAD OF ANY HIGH DEGREE OF UNITY, YOU HAVE MORE OF A "TOLERATING" EACH OTHER SITUATION.

THIS WORKS GREAT FOR PRISON ADMINISTRATORS BECAUSE THE OLD AXIOM OF "DIVIDE AND CONQUER" STILL HOLDS MERIT TODAY EVEN OR ESPECIALLY IN A PRISON SETTING. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GROUPS TAKE ON PREDATOR PARAMETERS, DEDICATED TO THE ARTS OF USING AND ABUSING EACH OTHER: PREYING ON EACH OTHER RATHER THAN PRAYING TOGETHER.

ENOUGH FOR NOW. I’LL WRITE AGAIN SOON. I HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU, WOULD BE NICE TO TALK SOMETIME.