Prison Work: One your week of orientation was over and it was determand, thru your attitude and your criminal history that you could get along with others you were required to find a job. You also had to have graduated from high school or you had to take classes to get your GED before you could look for work. With over 50 different offices and buildings there were many jobs to be had. All work to be done in the prison was done by inmates, so there were plumbers, electricians, HVAC, construction workers, orderlies and general laborers. If all else failed and you couldnt find a job on you own you went to work in the kitchen. With 1400 inmates and three meals a day there was always work in the kitchen. I lucked out and got on the HVAC crew. There was probably 15-20 guys on the HVAC crew, we had our own shop were we met each morning and received our different work orders. You worked as hard as you wanted to some would just show up and not want to anything but sit and vegetate. Myself the day went a lot faster when there was something to do. We did everything from cleaning the lint out of large dryer vent ductwork, to fixing ice machines, changing filters on roof top units. We installed drain lines, and once in awhile we got to do what I really liked doing, bending up tin for making ductwork. Each different shop had its own set of tools all tools were locked in large cabinets with wire mesh see thru doors. Each tool hung on a peg when the tool was removed an outline of the tool was painted on the wood behind it. So at a glance the guard would know exactly what tool was missing. Only certain inmates were allowed to check out tools, those inmates were assigned chits a chit is a piece of hard plastic thats a half inch wide an two inches long with a hole drilled in the top and a number stamped on it. When you took a tool off its peg you replaced it with your assigned chit. At the end of the day you put the tool back in its place and retrieved your chit. Any missing tools at the end of the day and you were in major trouble. If the tool couldnt be found off to the hole you went until it was found. So if you were responsible for any tools you treated them like gold, they never left your site and you made sure before you left a job all your tools were accounted for. The pay you received depended on your experience, how long you worked there, or how ambitious you were to work. I think the most you could make was maybe 30cents an hour, I made 23-24 cents before I left Sandstone, which was actually a pretty good wage compared to the 12 cents an hour I made when I got transferred to Duluth. So you definitely didnt make enough to retire on but it helped out when commissary day came around. I probably made 30-35 dollars a month the good thing was at least they didnt hold out any taxes..........
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:48:53 +0000
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