15 facing life
Chapter 8 Part 1
“There were men from all over the place, from all walks of life. I was wondering which one of them was going to be my celly. I couldn’t stand the thought of being trapped in the cell with some of them. I silently prayed for a good, compatible celly I could vibe with.”
The day that I was transferred from the county jail to Stateville Northern reception classification NRC prison, it was 5:00 a.m. when the officer came to let me know that I was leaving. I was laying there going through my usual routine of trying to sleep. My celly woke up and we shook hands, wishing each other well on our new journeys.
The processing out of the jail was much quicker than it was getting booked in. By 6:30 a.m. we were on the road. I was happy to be leaving. Being in the jail was suffocating being so close to home and being surrounded by people who are going to be home regularly, while I had a fresh 61-year sentence was very hard for me. Leaving there felt like progress. A step in the right direction.
I had heard a lot about the Stateville Northern reception/classification unit NRC. None of it had been good. I heard that the place was filthy and infested with mice. That you were locked in the cell for 24 hours a day, with the exception of two showers a week, as well as 4 hours of recreation a week. I was told that the food was bad, and the portions were meant for children. In my mind, I had thought that these guys were just being dramatic and over exaggerating. That’s not uncommon in jails or prisons. It’s very common actually. But yeah, I would soon realize that all of the rumors were in fact true. Stateville NRC was as legendary as I’d heard.
When we got there we weren’t allowed in right away. There was already a line of other vehicles from other County jails who were there to drop off men who had been sentenced to IDOC. It was a very slow process. If I had to guess. I’d say we sat there for at least 2 hours just waiting to get into the building.
Stateville NRC is essentially a prison that initially houses anyone in the northern part of the state who has been sentenced to IDOC. It’s a temporary holding facility. a person is processed in and held while the powers that be classify the individual to determine which prison across the state would be the best fit for that person. Once their assignment is done, they are transferred to another prison where they essentially serve their sentence. The process could take anywhere from two weeks to several months. It is nothing short of warehousing.
Once I finally made it inside I understood why it took so long. There were at least a couple hundred people already there. The room looked like a big warehouse that had about three to four bullpens. Each had several rows of concrete benches that could probably hold about 150 people each. All of the bullpens were filled before the afternoon ended. Just looking at all of the men there gave me the feeling that it was going to be a very long day. It was indeed a long and exhausting day of being processed. It started with the guaranteed strip search that feels like the first time, every time. It is so uncomfortable, but by that point I learned to become stoic during the process. I kept my head up and looked directly into the officer’s eyes, giving him the impression that I was unfazed by the sick process. After the strip search I had to take a quick, cold shower with several other men. A new first for me, at least at that point. I didn’t expect that. However, the shower was so quick that I barely had time to feel uncomfortable. We were in and out in less than 5 minutes. It was essentially a rinse off.
After showering and getting dressed, we moved to the next process in the circuit. I had my fingerprints and photos taken. After that I was sent to see a dentist who didn’t do anything except take an x-ray of my teeth before pointing me in the direction of the nurse’s station. After getting my blood drawn and my blood pressure taken, I was again given the finger, pointing me in the direction of my next stop. That’s how things went until I was done speaking with the mental health professionals, Correctional counsellors, and a few other people I can’t remember. The whole process took about an hour.
We arrived at Stateville NRC at about 8:30 a.m. I didn’t make it to my cell until at least 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. I spent most of that time sitting in the bullpen on that concrete bench, waiting for everyone to finish. By the time my name was called my whole body was aching.
I had spent a lot of my time in the bullpen studying the men around me. There were men from all over the place from all walks of life. I was wondering which one of them was going to be my celly. I couldn’t stand the thought of being trapped in the cell with some of them. I silently prayed for a good, compatible celly I could vibe with.
I can’t stress enough how vital it can be to have a celly that is compatible. It is important for your mental and physical health. being put into a cell with the wrong person could potentially become dangerous or even deadly. Especially in a place like Stateville NRC. Each unit could hold up to about 200 plus people, I believe. So once your cell door is shut, for the most part you are on your own. You can call for the officer if you have an emergency, but it is very likely your calls will go unanswered if they can even hear you behind the steel door.
I’ll never forget the moment where a guy who was “on the new” - like me - was able to avoid going into a cell with a potential sexual predator.
Thanks for reading! Getting the word out about my memoir takes people like you. It would mean the world to me if you would consider sharing it with someone you think may be interested in reading it too. With gratitude, Dre.