Free Serial Killer's Soul by Herman Martin

special occasions during the summer, especially holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, they had cookouts outside.
    Columbia also has a health service department with a full staff of doctors, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. If inmates need medical assistance, there is always a professional there to help.
    There were ten housing units at Columbia when I was there. Each unit had four tiers, two floors on the west wing and two floors on the east wing. Most units had sixty cells, some single, some double. Each cell was equipped with a metal bunk bed, desk and stool, plus a sink and toilet. The cells were eight feet wide by twelve feet long.
    In addition to the regular units, there were two desegregation units, also known as solitary confinement or the “hole.” I’ll share more about the desegregation units later.
    There was a reception/orientation unit with six single cells. Each new prisoner stayed in one of these cells while being introduced to the program, the physical plant members, and staff. Each prisoner received a ten-dollar credit to spend in the canteen until his money arrived. A prisoner’s money generally came from friends and relatives, from savings he had before he went to prison or earnings from a prison job.
    The length of stay on the reception/orientation unit ranged from one day to one month, depending on how long it took the staff to decide what regular unit was appropriate for the prisoner for the long term.
    Within ten days of arrival, all prisoners met with the Program ReviewCommittee. The committee reviewed your background, achievements, and interests along with recommendations made by the assessment and evaluation committees. Finally, they assigned you to a unit and educational program.
    Each housing unit at Columbia had a unit manager, a social worker, security supervisor, and unit officer staff sergeant, along with two or more security officers. Other staff members included an education representative, psychologist, health service representative, and recreation leader. Prison life today isn’t what it was decades ago. Today each prison has a battalion of professionals on staff to see to prisoners’ needs and safety.
    Forms were available in each housing unit for inmates to fill out if they wanted an additional interview with any member of the staff. Inmates also filled out forms if they wanted medical attention, help from the librarian, or even a haircut.
    We also had a form to make a telephone call. We were limited to two ten-minute telephone calls each week.
    Friends and relatives could visit Columbia residents three times a week: two three-hour visits on weekdays and one two-hour visit on weekends.
    Regular inmates dressed in green shirts, pants, and canvas shoes when leaving the unit to go to school, visitation, or appointments. When inmates lounged in their units or attended recreation, they could wear their own jogging suits, shorts, or T-shirts. Personal clothes had to be a solid color with no writing or pictures on the shirts, no red or black gym shoes or gang colors of any kind.
    Four times a day, inmates had to stand quietly in their cells for the “count.”
    Meals were eaten in the dayroom, thirty-two inmates at a time. Most dayrooms had eight tables that seated four people at each table. The food was prepared before arriving at the units. Each unit had a kitchen with counter warmers to keep the food hot. The days with huge, noisy cafeterias where all inmates ate together were over. The atmosphere for meals was similar to that of a small restaurant. Of course, prisoners restricted to their cells ate their meals alone, within the confines of four small cell walls.
    During recreation time, inmates could play cards, games, watch TV, ormake phone calls, if approved, in the dayroom.
    Saturday was cleaning day. Inmates cleaned their cells thoroughly and changed their linen. Each Wednesday, the unit laundry worker washed any of the inmates’ personal