Jail Bird Redux

"Zoo Station"

Quite appropriate for this post

As I heard the voice of the Sheriffs Department on the other side of the door my heart dropped into my stomach. I swallowed hard and opened the door to two plain clothes officers. My mother had signed an affidavit against me for pawning my own jewelry! Yes, you read that right. My mother had signed an affidavit against me for pawning my own jewelry! You can't make this shit up!

The officers were very nice to me. I think they felt the whole thing was laughable but they had to do their jobs. I gathered up my ostomy supplies of which I had enough to last 2 days. The officers assured me that I would receive the best medical care I could get anywhere. PLEASE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT LIE! I did.

I was taken first to the downtown Hinds County Jail, then sent out to the Raymond Hinds County Jail, in handcuffs, with another girl who had been picked up for writing bad checks. We were two VERY dangerous criminals! We were processed in Raymond, mug shots were taken, fingerprints made and then we were sent back downtown to the jail. Could that get any more convoluted? All the while being transported in gas guzzling SUVs. There are your tax dollars at work, folks!

We were made to disrobe completely, shower, and wash our hair. We were then given a plastic mattress not much thicker than children's mats they take naps on in kindergarten and a rough wool blanket. Then we were escorted upstairs to our cells. There was a day room/common area with 6 pod “bedrooms” consisting of a steel slab to put our mattresses on and a metal desk/shelf. That was it. There were two bathrooms one on each side of the day room with a small sink right above the toilet. I believe the same water that went into the toilet was the same water that came out of the faucet. Nice and sanitary. There was also one shower that all six of us used and believe me there were people in my cell that you wouldn't want to sit next to much less go to the bathroom or shower behind. In a word it was just nasty. All the girls were friendly enough. I somehow manage to get along with everyone with the exception of husbands, girlfriends and boyfriends. I'm funny like that.

This happened on a Friday in late January meaning I was there until Monday at least when I went before the judge. Little did I know I would be there for 3 weeks! During those three weeks I was unable to get the ostomy appliances the officers that arrested me told me I could get. Don't get put in the Hinds County Jail if you have something wrong with you physically. The nurse looked at me like I was crazy when I told her what I needed. She had no idea what an ostomy was! She was a truly brilliant scholar, let me tell you! I was sent to Raymond on a couple of occasions to get treatment for the uric acid burns I got during those three weeks because of the urine I stayed soaked in. They managed to come up with 10 colostomy bags with no opening at the end to drain my urine. However, there was a small square charcoal opening at the top for colostomy gasses to pass through. This only allowed more urine to seep out.

I was finally released ROR because of my medical issues. My friend that I had been staying with came to pick me up and had a big bottle of white wine he had picked up for me. He had also stopped and bought me 2 boxes of my ostomy supplies. He was nothing if not kind to me and if it had not been for him I would have literally been living on the streets.

The grand jury did not indict me on what was such a ridiculous charge. But I still had no direction other than to sit on that balcony and smoke and drink. Until I made a call to an old friend that would ultimately save my life.