Inmate Interactions

JM: Did you find it difficult to get along with other inmates?
Karen: Not really. I could tell who the trouble makers were and they stared me down but I held my own showing them I was not afraid to defend myself, and then they kind of had a respect for me. I was known as the quiet one. I also made friends with one of the girls there that was sentenced on the same day with me so we stuck together and watched each others backs.

JM: What types of things did you have to do to avoid problems or fights with other inmates?
Karen: I didn’t gossip about anyone and had a good friend who was my cell mate from sentencing on who had the same time to serve as me and we stuck together.

JM: Were you able to choose an inmate if you knew one?
Karen: No I wasn’t allowed to choose who I shared my cell block with. There was a girl there with lice in her hair and there was another woman there who had a stomach problem who constantly went to the bathroom and had severe diarrhea and my bunk just happened to be right next to the bathrooms, top bunk at that. The constant smell was disgusting and I was always afraid of catching something there.

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