Invasion of Privacy, Sexual Harassment or Free Peepshow?

A couple years ago I experienced an unusual occurance. The layout of the cellblock I lived in placed the gaurd's control room directly before the prisoner's showers.

For approximately five days a week for two months I was closely observed showering by a particular female guard. The single occupant shower was no longer than 5' wide and 8' long with a windowed door. Generally, guards will glance in a shower for security purpose, but this guard would turn her chair towards my shower, looking directly at me in the buff.

Although uncomfortable initially, it was flattering and I quite possibly lathered and dired longer than necessary on occassion.

In her 40's and not the stereotypical example of "beauty" she was affable and treated prisoners like a human being still. She was eventually fired for unrelated reasons.

Some people might of been offended had they'd been the one being peeped at, but it seemed harmless as did the guard. I welcome feedback and opinions.

Another Predatory Corporation

Keefe Commissary Network is the company contracted by A.D.O.C. to provide commissary to prisoners. Not only have I seen unprofessional conduct by employees, but blantantly ILLEGAL practices by the company itself.

As prisoners, we are a captive consumer population, forced to buy from Keefe or go without, which is unreasonable considering commissary is our sole means of purchasing hygiene, writing supplies, clothing, etc.

Two examples of Keefe Crook Network's illegal, predatory practices are as follows: 1) "Bait and Switch" is a weekly thing throughout ADOC. Keefe advertises items with weight, brand, and price. Upon receipt of an ordered item, you discover that it is not what was advertised, e.g., Cheese Crackers, 16 oz - $1.20. Reality: Cheese Crackers, 11oz - $1.20. This is common with many items. 2) Refunds are a problem. Keefe will "accidently" over-charge or fail to fill an order and delay months to refund your money. I'm no accountant, but it seems that if Keefe holds thousands of prisoners' cash for two or three months in a bank account, it gains interest. That is a tidy profit.

What about state and federal regulations? Is there an exemption clause to the Sherman Antitrust Act allowing companies to disregard its prohibitions if they have confined consumers? This is yet another example of a predatory company in cahoots with the penile (sic) system profiting from us prisoners.

A Cup to Piss In

Today was an eventful day. U.A. day! Urinalyses, are randomly performed, checking for drugs/alcohol. Dirty U.A. equals disciplinary sanctions.

Specimen collection is the eventful part. Despite the simplicity of the act, peeing in a cup for a prison U.A. is shocking. An embarassing and uncomfortably intimate process.

A male guard performs the process for male prisoners, which begins with documenting all medications I am taking. He hands mea six ounce plastic specimen cup with screw-top lid and leads me into a small, brightly lit bathroom, which feels around 45 degrees. Told to thoroughly scrub my hands and fingernails, I comply, using antibacterial liquid soap.

Once completing paw purification, I am directed to drop my pants and boxershorts around my knees. Imagine being naked from the waist down before a total stranger. Now imagine this nudity before somebody you don't know, but see and are forced to deal with daily. It gets better ...

Leaning forward to get a good view of my apparatus, he tells me to "Go ahead." Until today, only a select few individuals have ever "peered" at my bare package, and only by mutual choice. This was wholey different. I also discovered that in this situation my schlong quickly retreated, morphing into a genital jelly-bean. Resolution? I gave it a few jerks. Unphased, the guard peter-gazed on. Filling the cup a quarter way up, I handed the cup to the voyeuristic, cock-Hawkand who without a word fled the room.

Meeting up again with the guard, he had me seal, tape and sign the specimen cup. On my way back to my cell, I passed a group of other prisoners waiting for their own U.A.'s. As I passed them, my head dropped and eyes diverted instinctively. I felt embarrassed, ashamed and insecure. I felt victimized, despite this just being a urinalysis collection. I'd hate be forced into participating in a stool collection. I sympathize with any heterosexual guards assigned to this duty. Spending an eight hour shift face to face with peeing penises, you've earned your pay and then some.