As he said that he pulled down his pants and showed me his penis. I looked up to tell him I wasn't interested in his worn out dick, but then something caught my eye. The color wasn't right.

I slowly lowered my eyes again and noticed a little speck of orange at the tip. When I met George's eyes, he had a funny grin on his face. Like he'd just let me in on a major secret that he was barely able to contain.

Me: "Is that...? Don't tell me... That isn't what I think it is... Is it?"

George: "Yep! It's a carrot!"

He said it so cheerfully that I had to look again to make sure we were talking about the same thing.

Me: "Jesus Christ George! I thought we had a deal? You said you were going to behave."

George: "Well, what can I say? I'm an inmate."

He had a point.

Me: "Any chance you'd remove that so we won't have to do it for you?"

George: "No, and I'll just find something else to stick in it anyway. You can't stop me."

I thought about just leaving him that way. I really didn't think a baby carrot would to do much harm. Maybe he'd just get tired of waiting and take it out himself. I think George could tell that I might not play his game, so he upped the odds and produced a small piece of plastic from his pants pocket. Then he began cutting on his arms with it.

Me: "George, I need you to stop doing that. Just toss me the piece of plastic and we'll leave you alone."

Unfortunately I don't think he wanted to be left alone. George apparently likes attention.

Me: "George, I'm ordering you to hand over the plastic. If you refuse we'll take it from you, remove the carrot, and then we'll put you on the restraint board for the rest of the night. (The restraint board is a flat backboard that has multiple straps and cuffs to immobilize an inmate and prevent him from hurting himself.)

George just laughed and said, "We'll see." Then he started cutting one of his legs.

I grabbed a couple of officers and male nurses to assist me. We threw on our protective gear and slid open his cell door. He laid face-down on the floor and put his hands behind his back before we even touched him. After snapping cuffs on him, we hauled him into one of the examination rooms so the nurses could remove the carrot and check his cuts.

I didn't watch them remove the carrot. It made my penis hurt to even think about it. He was yelling and screaming the whole time but I think it was more for attention than any pain.

When they were finished one of the nurses informed me that the cuts were all superficial 'attention getters' and had stopped bleeding on their own. Then she showed me the carrot. It was about half an inch across and as long as my pinky.

Me: "How the hell did he fit that in there?"

Nurse: "Practice, I guess."

I asked a couple of other officers and a nurse to assist me in taking George back to his cell and placing him on the restraint board. A Lieutenant from one of the housing units arrived and asked us to brief him on the situation.

I didn't know Lt. Puck very well but I'd heard a couple of unflattering stories about him. I gave him a chance anyway and filled him in as we escorted George from the Infirmary. When we got to his cell, I grabbed the restraint board and laid it on the floor. While I was directing the other officers on how to secure George onto the board, Lt. Puck stepped in.

Lt. Puck: "Hey Hadley, I'll handle it. I've done this before."

Me: "Ok Boss, have at it."

I don't claim to be an expert at using the restraint board (I had only seen it used once before), but as I watched Lt. Puck fumble with the various straps and restraints I suspected that he really didn't know what he was doing. When he was finally finished I could tell that he'd gotten a few things wrong but it still looked pretty secure. One of the nurses checked the straps to ensure that George had adequate circulation to his extremities and then we locked his cell.

Most of the officers returned to their posts except for Lt. Puck who stuck around to flirt with one of the nurses. I guess rank does have its privileges. I got started on my report.

After a few minutes I figured I should check on George. Policy required that he remain under close supervision while he was on the board so I didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone for more than five minutes at a time. As I approached the cell I noticed that George was not on the board anymore. He was sitting on his bunk scratching his leg.

Me: "What the fuck George!? Why..."

Then I noticed that he wasn't scratching his leg. He was digging at it. I had heard that he sometimes cut himself with his fingernails and would dig until he hit a vein. Then he'd use the blood as 'war-paint' or to 'decorate' his cell.

I immediately called for another emergency response.

After a few guys arrived we began suiting up. Lt. Puck conveniently showed up after enough officers were prepped to handle the cell entry.

Lt. Puck: "You guys need any help?"

Me: "No, I think we have enough to do the entry."

Officer Hansen looked at me and whispered, "It's funny that it took him so long to show up when he was only a couple of rooms away."

We lined up at the door and Lt. Puck popped it open when were ready. As we rushed in George once again dived to the floor and placed his hands behind his back. I realized that even though George likes to hurt himself he doesn't like anyone else to hurt him. We held him down while a nurse checked and bandaged the hole he had made in his leg.

With that completed, we placed George back on the restraining board. I had learned from the Lieutenant's mistakes and thought I knew what to do differently this time. Lt. Puck had other ideas and insisted on doing it himself again, with George taunting, "I thought you said you knew what you were doing last time .You can't stop me from getting out."

Fifteen minutes later I was calling another emergency response, while I watched a once-again unrestrained George calmly pick at the hole in his leg.

George: "Nobody can keep me locked up. I've got powers and shit."

Me: "Why are you doing this? Wouldn't you rather be back at your unit, watching TV and hanging out with your buddies?"

George: "No, that's boring... I'd rather mess with you."

The hole in George's leg had gotten substantially larger and was steadily dripping blood. The nurse walked in and put another bandage on it. He started to warn George to leave it alone but he quickly realized the futility of it and walked away. Just as I was about to fasten the first restraint on the board, Lt. Puck arrived and took over.

Me: "Hey Lieutenant, I think you're getting the straps wrong. That's why he's getting out."

Lt. Puck turned and gave me a look that said, "Shut the fuck up!"

I decided not to hassle him any further so I sat back and watched as he put the straps and restraints on George again.

George: "Are you sure you know what you're doing? I've never had such an easy time getting out of this thing."

Lt. Puck: "You're not getting out this time."

George: "Sure I am and you're going to look like a god-damn moron for fucking this up again."

Lt. Puck: "Shut the fuck up! You better watch your mouth or..."

George: "Or what? You'll spank me and take away my birthday? You really are an idiot. There isn't anything you can do or say to me that hasn't been done a thousand times before. I'm immune to this shit. It's a game! IT'S A FUCKING GAME!"

Lt. Puck finished up and stormed out of the cell.

Even though I don't really like the Lt. I could understand his frustration. In 'The Good Old Days' we could have beat George to death and nobody would have even raised an eyebrow. Nowadays inmates have rights, and free lawyers, and civilian representation groups to catch even the slightest abuses. I'm not saying that there aren't cases of officers assaulting inmates anymore, there are, but more and more often they are getting caught and punished for those kinds of mistakes.

We shouldn't be able to assault an inmate just for pissing us off but not having the option does change prison dynamics. It can be pretty hard to keep the convicts in line when they don't fear you. Worse, an inmate with no interest in keeping any of the privileges that motivate most inmates to behave is at best a waste of resources and at worst deadly.

With George strapped down for the third time, I thanked the officers who had assisted, and Hansen yelled out as he left, "See you in fifteen minutes!" I'd started calling George 'Houdini' in my mind, and soon thought it might not be a bad idea to check in on him. As I walked up to his cell I noticed that he was wriggling and straining at the restraints. I was about to tell him to stop when I realized that I had an opportunity to figure out his escape method.

I peeked around the corner and watched as he wormed his way around and slowly worked the chest strap over his head. Then he sat up and used his teeth to undo one of the leather hand restraints. Once that was done he used his free hand to undo the other straps.

I stepped back out of view for a minute so he wouldn't know I had watched him and then I walked up to his cell. He sat on his bunk and worked at the hole in his leg. A steady stream of blood ran down his calf.

Me: "Well this is it, George. You're not getting back out again."

George: "Hahaha! You guys are so fucking stupid. Just give up."

Me: "I would leave you alone, but you need to stop cutting yourself."

George: "It's my body and I'll do what I want with it."

Given that George likes to paint his cells and body with blood, I really didn't feel like letting him have his way.

Me: "Normally I wouldn't care what you do to yourself, but you're under my supervision and I can't allow you to harm yourself. I know what you do when you are allowed to cut yourself."

He looked up at me knowingly.

The other officers arrived a few moments later.

Hansen: "Well, isn't this a shock!"

Me: "Where's our favorite Lt?"

Hansen: "Surprisingly he found something really important to do. He sends his best wishes."

As we rushed the cell and removed George, he talked shit, laughed, and tried to flick blood at us. We hauled him to the Doctor on duty so he could stitch the hole in his leg. George was still defiant, "I don't know why you're bothering. I'm just going to rip them out." With fresh stitches and a bandage, he was back in his cell. Then we laid him on the board.

George: "Where's that dumb-ass Lieutenant? I want to watch him fuck this up again."

Me: "He isn't here. I'm doing it this time."

George: "This should be fun."

First I secured George's legs. He didn't resist at all. Then I did his arms. He just laughed and said that I was tickling him. When I put the strap across his chest I ran it under his arms instead of over them. He immediately started telling me that I was doing it wrong. As he got louder I realized that he was panicking. He knew that I had caught on to his trick.

George: "Hey man! I promise that if you let me out I won't be any more trouble."

Me: "You lied to me before. I'm not going to trust you now."

George: "But I was just playing with you. I'm serious now."

Me: "I was serious the whole time. It seems you fucked up, George."

George: "But I'm claustrophobic! I can't be trapped in this thing!"

Me: "Then don't do the kind of stupid shit that gets you put into it!"

After the nurse checked the restraints a final time we left George alone to think about his situation. He didn't escape again that night.

I finally released him a few hours before morning when he agreed to start taking his meds again. I found out from Nurse Dorothy that George is pretty normal when medicated. He was then transferred back to the psych housing unit, a.k.a. The Fun House, where he could run and play with all of the other criminally insane boys.

Inmates who suffer from severe mental illnesses make up a significant percentage of the population housed within US prisons. While we are victims of their crimes they are victims of their minds. I'm not saying they are innocent or that they shouldn't be incarcerated, but I do take their conditions into account when determining how to handle them. In any case, it's a sad situation.

There are essentially two types of prison rape.

First, there is rape through coercion, where an inmate is 'talked' into performing sex acts that they normally would not do. These rapes can seem consensual but are not. Coercion rape usually happens in a 'prison bitch' or 'punk' type situation; the inmate has been threatened or blackmailed into cooperation. It's also pretty common for a weak inmate to turn to a stronger inmate for protection. At first he'll think that he can bribe his protector with gifts or favors, and that sometimes works, but quite often the protector will decide that he wants sexual favors as well. The weak inmate then loses control and essentially becomes the protector's slave. The protector uses the inmate for sex and will take anything he wants from him. It's also fairly common for the protector to pimp out his inmate to other inmates to pay debts.

The best way to avoid this kind of rape is to not rely on other inmates for protection. It's better to fight and lose a few times than become someone's sex slave.

The second type of rape is through force and violence. These types of rapes are brutal and are obviously not consensual. They tend to happen less often than coercion rapes, but no inmate is safe from violent rape. Of course, weaker inmates are usually the targets but even the biggest and meanest inmate can be raped if the situation is right. Violent rape is more about power and humiliation than about sexual pleasure. These types of rapes often happen in retaliation for debts, insults and power struggles. There are some inmates who just get off on violently raping weaker inmates for no reason, but they are pretty rare and tend to get weeded out by the other inmates. Nobody likes a crazy rapist living in his section.

The best way to avoid violent rape is to be aware of your situation and surroundings. Never get cornered or find yourself alone in an unsupervised area. Crowds and officer presence are your friends.

Regardless of the situation, the number one way to prevent being raped in prison is to never appear to be weak.

Me: "So what do we need to do now?"

Tracy: "Huh? Well... I only had 8 hours off yesterday and I'm working a double today. Is it... Is it ok if you kind of run the show today? I'm beat!"

I guess there's nothing new there.

Me: "Just tell me what needs to be done and I'll try to do it, ok?"

Tracy: "Ok."

Then Tracy picked up her book and did her best to be unavailable.

Since I had worked there the day before I figured that I'd have to do things pretty much the same as yesterday.

I glanced into Section One where we keep the level one, maximum security inmates. They're a noisy bunch but they really didn't cause any trouble the day before. I hoped that it would go the same today.

I started letting the inmates in the other 3 sections out one section at a time so they could shower and take care of business. Almost immediately a line formed outside the control room again.

Me: "Hey Tracy what do you think they- Oh... Shit! Not maxi pads again!"

Tracy: "You didn't think that it just lasts one day did you?"

Me: "No, I just... I... Goddamn it!"

Tracy: "They're still under the counter."

Ten minutes later I was regretting coming back. I should have known better.

Just as I finished handing out the last pad the control point opened movement for school and work. The Section One inmates rarely get to go anywhere. Sections Two and Three are receiving and orientation (R&O) sections. They are considered high risk, so they are restricted to the housing unit for most activities. That left Section Four, a general housing section; they're allowed to attend school and go to work.

With the Section Four inmates gone we let some of the R&O inmates out into the mini-yard. The mini-yard is much smaller than the main yard and doesn't allow the inmates to mix with inmates from other housing units. Once that was done the day went by pretty slowly. I spent most of my time sorting mail and doing some work on the computer.

Suddenly there was a loud bang from Section One. I grabbed Tracy and we ran there to find most of the inmates shouting and banging on their doors. I couldn't understand a thing they were saying but after a few seconds I pieced together that something was happening in cell 403-- Consuela's cell.

I looked inside her door and saw a nude, slightly overweight girl matching the corkboard picture standing on her bunk. She was bleeding from her head and had some scrapes and bruises on various parts of her body.

As I turned to Officer Tracy to ask her to take a look, Consuela suddenly did a front-flip off of her bunk and landed on her head. The sound of her head hitting the concrete made a sickening smack. I figured that she was knocked unconscious but after a few seconds she got up and climbed back onto her bunk. She looked like she was preparing to jump again so I called out to her.

Me: "Jesus Christ! You're going to kill yourself!"

Consuela: "That's tha plan motha-fucka!"

Me: "Why don't you come over here and talk to me for a second?"

Consuela: "Why don'choo come in here and eat me?"

She then reached down and spread her lips open and began to gyrate her hips.

I turned to Tracy with what was most likely a huge 'what the fuck?' look on my face.

Tracy: "She probably got bored. She just likes the attention."

Me: "She jumps off the bunk and lands on her head just to get attention? Jesus!"

Tracy: "It's not as bad as it looks. She's been doing this for years. She's a pro."

I turned back just in time to watch her flip off her bed again but this time she missed her mark a little and landed on the top of her head. The smack was definitely a lot louder. I realized that on her previous jumps she landed on the back of her head so her shoulders took a lot of the impact. This time it was 100% on her head and she wasn't getting up. She wasn't even moving so we popped the door open and walked in to check on her.

I checked her pulse and made sure she was still breathing while Tracy called for a medical response. I evaluated her head injury. She was bleeding but since even small head wounds bleed a lot I wasn't too concerned. I decided that I'd just support her head and neck until the EMTs arrived.

After a couple of minutes Consuela's eyes fluttered open and she immediately looked at me.

Consuela: "I... I've got a present for you."

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Consuela: "I've got some'en special for you. Jus stick a finga in my pussy."

Me: "No thanks. I think I'll pass."

Tracy: "What do you have in your vagina, Consuela?"

Consuela: "Jus a lil present fo this sexy cop."

Tracy: "I need to know what you have in there."

Consuela: "I'm not telling. It's a surprise. Why don'cha jus reach in and find out."

Tracy and I made eye contact and enough was said in that look to know that neither of us wanted to find out what she was hiding in there.

Finally the medical team arrived and as they loaded her onto the stretcher she began to yell, "Stop moving me! My pussy hurts! Somebody please see what's in there!" One of the EMTs turned to me.

EMT: "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

Me: "I'm not sure, but whatever you do don't stick your finger in her. Wait until you can get an x-ray or something."

Consuela looked over at us and began to cackle. After a few seconds she stopped laughing and got a pouty look.

Consuela: "Are you scared of my pussy Officer Hadley?"

Me: "Yes, Consuela... Yes, I think I am."

As the EMTs wheeled her away she began to cackle again.

I turned to Tracy for her opinion but she was already walking back toward the control room. When I caught up to her she told me that she couldn't write the report since she had arthritis. Funny, it didn't seem to stop her from holding her book for the next three hours.

Later, I got a call from the Infirmary. Consuela's head injury was minor and they expected her to be returned to the unit by the next day. Then the nurse went on to tell me that they had found three small razor blades from a disposable razor in her vagina. She said that she'd been hiding them there for two days. When they asked her why she put them in there she said that she was hoping to convince a male officer to have sex with her. She hates men, especially male officers.

And that is why I'd never ever have sex with a female inmate. Not that it's particularly tempting. I have no desire to even touch their rancid bodies and to top it off it's completely unethical. But a little fear goes a long way, too.

I thought that working with women would be much simpler than working with men since they are so weak but that just wasn't the case. They are manipulative, compulsive and completely insane. Working with them totally fried my nerves, which is why that was the last time I ever worked in a female housing unit.