I'm not sure why I came back for my second shift in the women's facility. I could have called in sick and never returned, but that would have been letting the female inmates beat me. I decided that it couldn't be much worse than my first day there. At least I thought I was prepared for most of their games this time.
I ran into Officer Cunningham, who looked exhausted, at the front door.
Cunningham: "Are you my relief?"
Me: "Yeah, you seem beat."
Cunningham: "I just worked a shift with Tracy. She's working a double and covered Lisa's shift last night. I couldn't get her to do shit over the last eight hours! Good luck."
Then she tossed me her keys and stepped out the door.
I walked onto the block and did my best to ignore the catcalls, but a few caught my attention.
"I heard you found Trudy's little friend! Did it scare you officer?"
"Hey Offica Hadley! Wanna see what I can do wit a mop handle?"
I did my best to shut out their voices and walked to the control room, where I found Officer Tracy reading her book. She glanced up at me.
Tracy: "Oh... You're here again?"
Me: "Yeah... Unfortunately."
Tracy: "Well, I hope you're ready to work today. We've got Consuela Trujillo back."
Why in the hell was she asking me if I was ready to work? I did all of the work yesterday. How could she expect me to do more? Also, why should I care about Consuela?
Me: "Who's Consuela?"
Tracy: "She's one of our level one's [Maximum Security Inmate]. She's pretty famous around here. I'm surprised you've never heard of her."
Me: "Since I never work with women I'm not really in the loop. Why is she famous?"
Tracy: "Oh... She's just a bit of a problem child... Nothing we can't handle."
I scanned the corkboard where we keep pictures of all the inmates that live on the unit and there she was looking back at me. Dark hair and brown eyes with a thin face and a pouting lower lip. She looked like she used to be attractive but too much hard living had put a certain harshness into her features.
I turned back to Tracy.
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.
