October 18, 2023

After breakfast comes the announcement; "unfortunately, due to the needs of the facility there will be no rec or phone calls today." The phones have been unreliable and now for whatever other reason we won't be able to talk to our loved ones. One of the guys asks a guard why. He replies that he doesn't know, he just works here.

They hide their name tags and lie to the inmates so inmates don't have information to file proper complaints. Even when I fill out a paper request slip I am told to "just put property guy" or some similar generic identifier. To get guards names guys will have to get disciplinary paperwork to learn certain staff member names. That includes nurses too. The name tags are flipped backward and if not, the writing is so small you can't easily read it.

Whatever is going on leaves us with cold lunch today. Ham sandwich in a "tasty brands" package. Like a gas station sandwich, it is mashed into an unappealing deformation but it isn't putrid like the sandwich fixings we get from the kitchen here. I wish they would always get these pre-made sandwiches. The usual stuff is so nasty. I wish they would bring mail more than once per week. Getting messages and letters is such a highlight to my week. I don't know if today's restrictions are from lack of staff but the guys say Waupun has a lawsuit about conditions and restrictions on inmates. Hopefully it will only be today that we lose out on phone. I hope mail and property delivery won't be affected as well.