January 10, 2024

One of the cells across from me gets a maintenance call because the door slams open really hard. They are driven by air pressure. Two guys open up the metal enclosed chase way that holds the electric and air lines to the cell doors. While they are up on their ladders a guard is doing his rounds and as he turns to speak to a maintenance guy he reflexively points his flashlight at him and the maintenance guy voices his displeasure and puts his hadn't out to steady himself on the cell door mechanisms. Three minutes later he still complains about seeing spots. I tell him that the flashlights need to be bright enough to penetrate your eyelids which he nods in acknowledgement or agreement. My sense of a proper circadian rhythm and internal track of day and night is gone. I try but cannot keep regular hours against my back always a bother and the various disruptions of inmates and staff. I would ask them to get a light that isn't so unnecessarily bright, but..."the thing is we don't have to."