Smoking Tensions in Prison
Yesterday I heard from Martin Petersime, a long-time friend in prison.
Here's a paragraph from this most recent of his always interesting letters:
March 27, 2009
"The smoking ban is now in effect here. There's still quite a bit of smoking going on and bags of tobacco (formerly sold in the commissary for about $5) are now going for almost $200. Individual hand-rolled cigarettes (small ones!) are going for $2 apiece. Tobacco is as expensive as marijuana these days. Those guys must really want to smoke. The urinals are still plugged up with butts, too, and I don't mean the human kind! The smoking ban has caused some fights and other tensions. As you know, Mansfield Correctional (ManCI) is a close-security prison right next door. Last Friday we were locked down and guards sent from here to ManCI when some fights broke out over smoking issues. Smokers are fiending for their nicotine so badly that many of them are emptying their bedposts—which in past years smokers often used as ashtrays. They take the years-old ash and cigarette butts, use various methods of filtering the debris, and then smoke whatever it is they end up with. Rather desperate, it seems. It makes me glad I only smoke when someone sets me on fire."
For links to Martin's previous Crisis Chronicles blogs, click here.
Categories: Prison, Guest Bloggers
Tags: Ohio Prisons Richland Correctional Institution Nicotine Fit Martin Petersime Guest Blogger Mansfield Correctional Institution Smoking Ban
rumor has it that I may be heading to prison in the not too distant future. . .long story. . .more on that later if you want to know. I would like to connect with someone that will post information that is sent to him or her from me IF I am locked up. I know what we see on television is not what prison is "really" like. I would like to have folks here in the "free world" to get a glimpse of what is actually happening on the inside of prison walls and fences! Please feel free to contact me
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I'm deeply sorry to hear you may be heading to prison, Jay. I'd be interested in hearing the long story at some point. And I'll certainly share some of your reporting online. You can write to me both at jc@crisischronicles.com and in care of Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria OH 44035.
Peace and best wishes,
John
P.S. I tried to add you to my friends on MySpace, but couldn't because mine is technically a band profile and they say you've blocked requests from bands. Feel free to add both my profiles to your friends: www.myspace.com/noodlecream and www.myspace.com/citybuddharox.
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wow. i feel for these guys. it seems to me that the prisons' authorities have a duty to provide fags as a relief to guys who have few other outlets for pleasure.
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Hahaha!
Prison authorities nab Marlboro Man in dragnet
Marlboro Man says it would be Kool to have a Newport for his Winston (apparently the old port has become tiresome)
Phlegm at 11....
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When you and I visited Martin a while ago I thought he might be up for parole soon.
I owe him a letter and thank you for or posting what he wrote to you about the latest incidents he has had to put up with. I remember from teaching in Grafton prison that cigarettes at that time were used as money for barter. It is again the worst scenario imaginable that they are even denying the inmates their nicotine. They could at least supply them with patches or gum and if there are riots this is to be expected!
Martin is a wonderful person and has so much talent! It is a shame that he is still in prison. I hope he can be released sooner than later. I feel this is another failure of our justice system. How many failures does it take to let the public know the work of the Innocence Project? We could empty out the prisons if marijuana were legalized since probably half of the inmates have drug related convictions. It is to me inconceivable that cigarettes are now prohibited. That is cruel!! I am going to write to him today.
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Thank you, Elena! I owe him a letter, too. I don't make time to write him as often as I should or want; but I try to at least print off my blogs regularly and send 'em to him. I know - that's probably cruel and unusual punishment. lol
The state's county jails (or at least Lorain County's) banned tobacco in the early 1990s. A year or two ago, if I recall correctly, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation system banned smoking inside state prisons as well - but still permitted inmates to buy tobacco from the commissary and possess it, as long as they only smoked it in designated areas outdoors (like the rec yard). The 2009 rule bans all possession and use, inside and out.
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I can only imagine what the prisons will be like now. I wouldn't want to be there. I have vivid memories of what we went through at the State Mental Health Hospital when they went non-smoking. There were fights and fires. Staff and client injuries were a daily occurence. There is so much taken away from inmates, I wish there could have been some kind of compromise. Happy for the non-smokers though.
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I appreciate your input, Mama!
In case others don't know, Mom was a nurse, not a patient, at the state hospital - haha! Before retiring, she also worked at a couple of the state prisons, including the one where my wife currently works.
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if pounds of refer can be snuck in a pack of smokes isn't going to be an issue. what's going to be a problem is the guys who get the smokes and can't pay up.
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Ain't that the truth? Getting caught with tobacco might get you a hole shot. Not paying up might get you a whole lot worse.
Pay the piper or get piped....
By the way - happy birthday, bro!
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There is a lot more meaning in life and we are all looking for it. Martin is a very special case and his story has more meaning than most of us realize. I know you understand this. The search is on...
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There has been a large increase in the number of fights at Grafton Correctional where I work in the past month. During the past year that I have worked there,not counting March, I have seen maybe 5 fights. During the month of March and into April there seems to be at least 1 a day! When I worked at Lorain Correctional fights were common every day and it wasn't unusual to see several a day. I can only imagine how it is over there now.... We are hearing that Mansfield is very,very volatile right now. Many fear a riot of some magnitude is building there. I hope they can get things under control. We don't need another riot like Lucasville happening. Staff are not allowed to smoke on grounds either. This makes for some cranky co-workers I can tell you! The reasoning is that the state pays big for health care for these inmates and hopefully this will decrease the costs eventually. I have already seen improvement in some of our pulmonary patients. The inmates were offered help through this transition. Some of them even told me they were glad about it. The said they had wanted to quit, but couldn't voluntarily give it up. I hope that the warmer weather will help alleviate some of the tension.
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Thank you for sharing these illuminating insights. I remember back when I was in Marion Correctional Institution, the medical staff in conjunction with the Red Cross chapter there offered a voluntary "Smoking Cessation" class. At the time, there were no restrictions against smoking - but it was hoped guys would take advantage of the program for their own good. I don't think anyone ever quit smoking as a result of that program. Some non-smokers even took the class - just to collect another certificate with which to impress the parole board.
The last year or two I was there (2003-2004), the prison commissary began selling Nicorette gum - but it cost a fortune (I can't recall exactly, but I wanna say the packages were over $100). The average pay an inmate earned for a month of work was $18 (I earned $19 because I was a program aide - for about 160 hours of work). Needless to say very few could afford it. And couple of guys I knew who could and did buy the gum were still unable to give up smoking.
The last few years of my prison stay, I was housed in the Horizon Interfaith dorm - a non smoking housing unit. Participants would have to sign a contract saying they would not smoke in the dorm during their 10-month stay. Some actually totally gave up smoking as a result - a fact they attributed to their faith (though I think their personal determination/discipline played a significant role). Others were either unable or unwilling to keep their word - and would be caught sneaking a puff in the bathroom and threatened with expulsion. There were other tensions as well - and this was with guys who volunteered to quit and could have easily moved to another dorm and been permitted to keep smoking.
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WOW yew may be pleased to hear this eye twisted the whole bag of TOP tobacco that eye had and tossed it away behind a bus stop in 2003 a year BEFORE eye stopped the drinking and had only one butt since eye found it lit it up and then quickly stubbed it out what was eye thinking now eye am smokefree
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Congratulations!
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I have heard rumors of the manci prison maybe letting out some of the inmates that are a lower felony. My soon to be husband is a tier 1 sexual offender and I miss him dearly. I would like to know if you have heard anything about this. And if you have please inform me if this is true or not. There have been letters that he has sent to me about some of the issues they are having like the gang related problems please feel free to ask me what they are if you are interested. Lonely in Ohio.
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http://www.theonion.com/content/video/prison_economy_spirals_as_price
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