In my previous post about correctional staff being particularly susceptible to racism, misogyny, and homophobia, I should have also clarified that the incarcerated not only face retaliation, but also just pure stonewalling. In the prison system, they tend to call this stonewalling “policy.” There is always a “policy” that ties staff’s hands and prevents them from taking thoughtful action, though most time nobody can actually say what this policy is. Nonetheless, even invisible laws but be strictly adhered to.
And so, one of my limericks:
With prison staff here's a good bet: They strive to be huge martinets. They drool just like fools When it comes to the rules Although too much work makes them upset.
As long as the “policy” doesn’t involve an outlay of real effort, you can bet that it will be cited time and again. However, if some policy involves paperwork or distraction from the routine, you can bet that some other policy, imagined or not, will be discovered that leaves the staff more or less comfortably at rest.
As far as life after prison goes, I guess I have to say that I’m more than a little shocked to see how pervasive this life strategy is OUTSIDE the razor wire. Call me naive (but certainly not innocent), but I actually thought people had more of a work ethic before I went to prison. Now I see I was living quite a delusional life, though it had nothing to do with my so-called criminal thinking.