Get Down or Get Punished

It rained on and off throughout the day. Luckily, the rain stopped when we went to dinner. The ground was wet and half of the sky was covered with dark clouds. I exited the chowhall and took in a few deep breaths of the fresh air.

All of the sudden, the PA system announced for everyone to get down. That meant everyone had to sit down on the ground wherever they were standing, except those who had disabilities.

There is a "get down" policy in prison. Whenever there is an alarm, every prisoner has to sit down immediately. The cause of an alarm could be a fight, a medical code, or the guards accidentally sound off the alarm. The guards would respond to any alarm on the yard or in the buildings. Anyone refusing to sit down will be punished by receiving more time in his prison sentence.

Some of the guys squatted instead of sitting on the wet ground. The guys who happened to wear their raincoats sat down. I was walking by the building so I leaned against the building and sat on a dry spot. The guards were yelling at those who were squatting to sit down. Most of them complied and sat on the wet ground. One African American prisoner refused to sit on the wet ground. The guards handcuffed him and locked him in a cage. He will receive at least 60 more days if he's found guilty.

It's dangerous going to dinner during the rainy season. You never know when the alarm will go off.