In loneliness, it almost always freezes. The inmates would wrap themselves in bed sheets and extra clothes and then walk back and forth to keep warm. Sometimes, I can see my breathing.
I suffered in silence, but some prisoners would tear the blankets open, stuff them into the toilet, and then start flushing, flooding the device.
One night, inmates at the top of the unit began to "flood" together. Dirty water poured from the upper layer into the lower layer, flooding the cells there. My cell was filled with water. Later, as the pipes were blocked, toilets began to flood, including mine, exacerbating the chaos. I was frightened and jumped onto the bed, but the dirty water started to rise until the edge of the mattress was tied.
I helped the officers, but no one came. After some time, the water stopped rising and began to retreat, but the damage had already caused - my cell was dirty. An hour or two later, an officer came and I begged him to open the door.
He smiled. "This is the third shift" - which means the department has to remain locked - "I didn't open any doors."
I beg, "Brother, this is annoying, brother. Please let me take out the water at least."
"You'll be fine," he said, then walked away.
There is feces on the floor. I feel like an animal in a cage.
My trial began in December 2004 and lasted until the conviction in April 2005. I was isolated until I was sent to the NJSP in August 2005. This is two years of solitary confinement.
At NJSP, I was immediately placed in the general crowd. I can now go to Mets Hall for three meals a day, get religious services, and do work details in the kitchen, laundry or other areas in the prison. I can go to the yard and the gym and have regular visitors.
I learned that the only way you end up in isolation is to have trouble. So I did my business to avoid anything.
But 17 years later, I was locked for unauthorized USB wires. I was taken to a "temporary" cell possession "temporary" for prison-related violations. The above levels make prisoners do ADSEG time. Unlike the county's prison lockdown, this place is huge - ears are shaking loudly.
Some prisoners cursed each other. Others were cursing the police, who in turn yelled at the prisoners. Then the door exploded and kicked the metal door of the cell like a donkey. This is a zoo.
Previous occupants were obviously disturbed. The mattress is in rags. There are broken down foods. A pile of feces sat in a stainless steel toilet.
However, I am no longer a newcomer. I am now a middle-aged man with nearly 20 years of experience in one of the most notorious prisons in the country.
I gathered my own strength to join the prisoner's chorus and called on unit officials to provide some cleaning supplies and "night schoolbags" - soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, clothes, clothes, toilet paper, spoons, cups, cups, sheets, sheets and blankets.
"What do you want?" A young officer asked me overworked and disheveled.
I pointed at the feces in the toilet. He just shrugged and told me to clean it with the water in the sink.
"What cleaning should I use?" I asked, excited.
"Use your hands," he said, walking away.
It took me twenty years of patience and self-control to stay angry.
For the next two days, I got rhythm.
That was the third night I heard the kid next door start rinsing. I know what to expect, but I don't have blankets or sheets to block the door. Dirty water began to pour into my cell. As the water level continued to rise, I jumped onto the metal bed, praying that the toilet would not start to overflow. "Please, no, no more." I begged.