THE NEW BREED

Nottoway Correction Center decided to focus on reentry, so they cleared out two housing units from population. That's nearly 150 men who were transferred. Those that remained were moved into the housing unit I reside in.

The first day these men moved in, we were watching them. I'd seen them around Nottoway, but we never spoke. Now we're in the housing unit together, having a staring contest. Silly, but when you didn't know one another, the unknown factor frightened you. So, you learned who was around you.

Like always, everybody was on edge. Those from the other unit socialized with their own, and we did the same. The interesting thing was that there were five stainless steel tables in the day room, each one was already assigned to the men in the unit; card games, Dungeons and Dragons, studies, drawing, and one for cooking.

The new men are coming out and taking over the tables. The Dungeons and Dragons table was the first. The men who usually utilized that table didn't have a backbone, so they complained to their friends, but that table was now commandeered by one of the new guys for drawing his art.

Next came the phones. At nighttime, they were opened for anybody to use, but as the new men came out, the old ones made sure they were on their usual phones. It didn't get crazy with phone lines, but more so, hey new guys, I'm using this one at night--you can get it next.

The noises of the day room were usually muted during the day, but now with a packed house, they reach a higher decibel level at night. Some of the men began complaining about it, but nothing came from it. Everybody was in their own world, doing them. So, everybody had to respect the noise.

As the new men in the housing unit made themselves at home, their personalities began showing. Like this 66-year-old man who sagged his shorts so low that you could see his boxers. This was his attempt to act like a teenager, trying to fit in with the younger men. He was a loudmouth who kept silliness going amongst the men he moved into the housing unit with.

There was also a two-time felon (he's been in prison more than once) who had a bald scalp, but grew his hair around the side of his head; cornrows that were the length of a finger. He wore thick spectacles and sagged his pants, showing his shorts as he lumbered around the day room. He worked in the kitchen and slept all day long. When awake, he was on the top tier, staring at all of us, never speaking. Just constantly staring.

There was also this light-skinned brother who made himself at home on the top step. He sat there all day long, never speaking. Well, that created a problem for the elders in the unit. They needed the handrail to assist them up and down the steps. Since that was the case, one of the men who lived with those older men in the unit approached the brother who sat on the steps. There was a heated exchange between them over where he decided to sit...but that ended with the brother deciding this wasn't the unit for him. So, he moved into another housing unit.

As the men began learning each other, things started to shape up. We had some of them join the Uno game, which was a major event. The men in the day room were always in an intense battle for bragging rights, and it was always fun. So a few of the new guys made their way to the table.

We also had three men who played Scrabble. Each day, they took turns playing with one another. It was so intense that the men in the unit knew not to go over there and interrupt them, because their level of play was as those of a professional athlete. Now that all changed when a new guy played a game with them. He fit the bill, and they accepted him as new competition.

We even had the Muslim community growing in numbers. The new men were a part of their shared belief in Allah, and the conversations were all about Islam. It also showed the new men that this unit was all about peace.

My housing unit hasn't had any altercations. It's been relaxed, even though we're not all social. It truly showed itself in the early hours, when it was so quiet, serene, and peaceful. You'd find men at tables, reading books, and studying for college in the morning. Me, I wrote my daily letters and enjoyed the silence. Something that's a rarity in any prison system, so when you could get that hour or two, you enjoyed it.

These new men integrated with us without much fanfare. I'm happy for that, because when you're in a place like prison, you take full advantage of having a relaxed atmosphere. Meaning, focusing on getting the HELL OUT OF PRISON.