December 21, 2020
Forty minutes north-east of Seattle, a hill stands next to a high school in the middle of rural Monroe, Washington. Atop that hill, four prisons make up the Monroe Correctional Complex. Among them, the 100-year-old Washington State Reformatory (WSR) sits like a medieval castle surrounded by a brick wall. Gun-towers posted along the wall provide views into the recreation yard where residents segregate by race, affiliation, sexual orientation, and sometimes even conviction. White prisoners occupy a set of concrete bleachers along one side of the jogging-track, while Latinos line another about 50 feet away. Near the turnstile where they enter and exit, a cluster of tables harbors Black people and across the soccer-field, those who have been shunned by most of the population, find companionship together.
My Prison Is Still Flouting Public Health Guidelines
MY MASK HANGS just below my nose, elastic worn and stretched out. Frequently, I pull it up, but it refuses to remain in place. I soldier on toward the dining hall with the rest of the prisoners. We’re herded in large clusters to our meal pickups in narrow corridors where social distancing is impossible. Once we get there, a guard at the entrance confronts me. “You need to have your mask on at all times, in a proper manner, no exceptions,” he says.
I don’t bother to argue or waste time trying to explain that the mask is worn out, has deteriorated beyond usefulness. I hold it above my nose until he is out of sight. I look over to see three guards sitting merely a foot or two apart from each other. Two have their masks resting on their chins, mouth and nose fully exposed while laughing and joking around. I wonder why the guard hasn’t reminded his co-workers to wear their masks properly. I’m annoyed as I continue toward
Christopher Blackwell
The Washington State Reformatory, which is a prison that houses almost 800 people, is about to receive federal stimulus checks.
Many people are opposed to this, but prisoners have families too, and deserve an equal opportunity to support them.
Christopher Blackwell is a writer who is incarcerated at the Washington State Reformatory in Monroe, Washington.
This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.
The Washington State Reformatory (WSR), the prison in which I live, incarcerates approximately 780 individuals and is about to receive an economic boost close to $1 million., The money is not from our state budget, which is shrinking, but from federal government stimulus checks.