Transfer

by Bo Flack ©

Bo was recently transferred from a medium security prison in the South to Sheridan in Oregon. He wrote the following about his new habitat. Through his words, you'll get an idea of things people on the outside take for granted--such as being treated politely and respectfully by others--that mean all the world to inmates, who are so often treated as children in the prison system.

I've been here for ten day now, and it's really nice. It's so different--in fact, in many ways it's the opposite--from where I was. There is such a positive energy here, an agreeable vibe. I don't have to work at keeping a positive attitude, it just is.

This is a "camp," which is what the B.O.P. (Bureau of Prisons) classifies as a minimum security institution, and as such there is very little supervision by guards. You are expected to do all the things you're supposed to do, without fences, locked doors, and guards messing with you all the time. To use the proper prison slang, this place is "soft as cotton," and soft is a good thing.

I was a little bit shocked when I arrived here. People say, "Excuse me," and open doors for you. They smile and say, "Good morning" and offer their help. They don't look at you with contempt or talk bad to you. It's so different here. The staff is very professional and helpful; they do their jobs. It wasn't like that at the federal prison in the South. But now Mississippi is behind me and the rest of my life lies ahead. I have twenty more months to do before going home, and it will be easy to finish my "bid" here.

It's not a struggle here to be positive; in fact, this is the happiest I've felt in a long time. I know the physical environment shouldn't have such a big influence on what's going on inside of us, but it still does for me. Being oppressed with all the negative energy that permeated the previous prison was difficult. It's amazing that something so intangible can affect a person so much. Yet negative and positive energy fields do exist, and given the choice, I will always opt for the positive. What would the Buddha do? He would probably take the negative place and try to make it better. Maybe some day I'll be more like that.