Another lovely Friday with my son.

Fridays have to be my favorite day of the week for two reasons….it’s the start of the weekend, not that TGIF “day” changes much for me personally as I am now happily and fully retired (and enjoying every single minute of it!) but because my husband is still working, its HIS last work day of the week and signals the beginning of a few lovely days together. Secondly, two Fridays of every month I get to visit Corey, and those are visits I always look forward to and cherish every minute of.

Corey had called the night before to suggest I arrive just a bit later than usual, maybe around 9 ish as there had been some kind of computer glitch at the facility and all the inmate commissary accts had been screwed up. After a week into the month each account “limit” had been somehow reset back to the $320 Limit allowed. Well this in itself was great news for anyone with money in their accts, it meant they could purchase more items this month than usually allowed. So, many immediately started buying up more grocery and other needed items. Well the facility caught their error, and rather than just let it go, the simplest, most cost effective solution (that would also most benefit the prison itself with greater profits from sales) the facility decided to shut down the commissary for three days while they made the necessary (?) corrections to the computers and the inmates accounts. Many had taken advantage of the glitch and had rushed out to the store to purchase extra grocery items (or other essentials) and when all corrections were made, their new acct balances of course reflected the additional spending, bringing them now much closer to their spending limit and so they would have to cut back their purchases the next 3 weeks of the month. Not a big deal, all in all, but the time spent to fix the error (3 days apparently) was anything but cost effective and the prison budget is all about cutting expenses (not incurring more) so didn’t make a whole lot of sense. But this is afterall, prison and everything about the system is anything but logical.

SO this was the reason we agreed to meet for our visit later in the morning, Corey knew the lines to the store would be long and it would be time consuming. And so I came to arrive at the Camp shortly after 9 am to discover this wasn’t going to be the only setback this day. In front of me, posted on the window of the Control Room (where we sign in) was a small sign that read “No Open Toed Shoes or leggings allowed. Effective immediately.” Say What???!!!

For the past 6 ½ years open-toed shoes have been allowed as part of the dress code for visitors. The only stipulation regarding shoes was they must have a backstrap, no flip flops, etc. And this being warm, sunny (nearly year round) California, most the shoes I wear are open-toed sandals or heels. Well for reasons unbeknownst to me (or any of us visitors and seemingly most the guards at visitation today) overnight the Administration changed their minds, and the policy was effective at once!

So here I am, in my lovely brazilian leather open-toed heels, and the choice offered me is drive back into Taft (20 miles return trip) and purchase a brand new pair of shoes at the local Kmart Store or forego my visit.

Of course, being me, I argued the unfairness, not so much of the new policy (we are used to “silly” policies being instituted in the bop) but for the lack of ANY notification prior to the change…as well as the extra expense it would force on some families, who would be traveling long distances for their visit today, many of whom could least afford an additional last minute purchase, and lets not forget, driving back into town for the needed purchase would lessen precious time with their loved one inside.

Add insult to injury….having arrived, again, this time in my shiny new black patent ($14.95) heels from Kmart clicking their way up the sidewalk, (the only thing I could find in a closed-toe shoe in my size, most all the selection was open-toed!) I hurried to once again check in for my visit. ONLY to be told it was now too close to “Standing Count” to be processed and let into visitation at this time! The facility does 4 Standing Counts a day, the entire inmate population is counted to assure everyone is accounted for and it usually takes at least an hour for the procedure. Having arrived initially, after driving the 45 minutes from Bakersfield, at just after 9 a.m., it was only just after 11 am that I finally hugged my son and sat down to our visit.

"Sometimes life's Hell. But hey! Whatever gets the marshmallows toasty. ~J. Andrew Helt