Prison Rats. I am still residing in my corner cube. There have been no further attacks upon my person. But there have been some further developments.

I had talked to two inmates about the attack the night it happened (Wednesday) and Thursday one of those inmates mentioned it to the officer. The officer called me up to the "bubble" and asked me what happened. I told him I did not want to make a big deal out of it and thought for the time being that the whole thing might be a one time event.

On Friday morning, the officer again asked me if I know who hit me, and I said no. He then told me he knew who it was, and told me his name. The story he heard, (or the one he decided to tell me) is that someone in another unit told this inmate to hit me with a lock in a sock. There has been a name floated about who that inmate is but it still does not make any sense to me as to the cause of the action.

After lunch on Friday, the officer told me I had to go down to medical to be checked out to be sure I had no injuries. I mildly protested to the officer, that this is exactly what I did not want to happen. In the rules of the jungle I reside in going to the staff is just one way that you get labeled a rat.

Off I go to medical, where I am met by a sergeant. I am then asked if I was assaulted. I tell him I do not know what really happened. He asked if when the nurse examined me would there be any marks on me. I knew the sore jaw did not show any marks and the small bruise on my elbow was now almost forty-eight hours old. I blamed the elbow on my maintenance job, and putting in the new steel bunk beds.

This all took place in one of the examining rooms, with the door open the entire time. He then tells me to strip down leaving my socks and undershorts on. Mom would be proud; I did have clean underwear on.

The door is still open to the hall. While no inmates happened to pass during this exam, several staff did. The nurse has me turn around ninety degrees at a time and looks me over from head to toe for any bruises etc. She notes the mark/scab on my elbow and the sergeant says not to worry about that. The exam completed, I dress and follow the sergeant back to his office which is in the same building but down a couple hallways.

The bottom line is that I tell the sergeant "nothing happened" and I am safe where I am. He makes me sign a refusal of Protective Custody form and off I go.

Meanwhile I have changed my sleeping position. I now have my head back up at the far end of the cube. At night I place my plastic chair in the center with some clothes and a plastic bag that has a bunch of empty soda cans. The way I have the bag if anyone bumps the chair, the cans will rattle and fall to the floor.

I also have taken to sleeping with an L&S next to my pillow. What is a L&S, Lock and Sock. At least this time I am going to be ready to swing back.  ¶ 7:48 AM