Worst jobs
If someone asked me what the worst job in prison was, I might have two answers, and unfortunately I had both. There are two jobs in particular, but I will also add on my job at Sanford when they had us dumping slop cans, I really must tell you about that someday. But the two worst jobs I know, and there could be others, but I will state these two: Potwasher, and Dorm Janitor. I think of the two, the Dorm Janitor was maybe the worst of the two. Let me explain what that job entails, from my experience at Pasquotank Honor Grade: Being a dorm janitor pays I think 40 cents a day, and we worked 5 days a week, having 2 days off. We rotated from about 4 guys, maybe 5, in the cleaning. The building on the camp is kinda X-shaped, with each wing being a dorm, and the center being control center. There were 4 dorms, each dorm was kinda split in half, with about 30 inmates on each side, for a total of about 60, maybe a bunk or two more. That means we have to clean up after about 60+ guys. (And you thought cleaning up after two or three was impossible). There are two bathrooms in each dorm, one on each side. Each bathroom had, let me try to remember correctly, 3 or 4 toilets and 3 or 4 sinks, each with a "mirror" (not real glass). At the back of the bathroom is a larger shower area, large enough for maybe 5 guys to shower at the same time, but I have never seen more than 3, two most times. I was responsible for cleaning one of the bathrooms, and the dayroom. The dayroom is where inmates can hang out. Just like bathrooms, there were two dayrooms, one on each side. Inmates in the same dorm can use either bathroom or dayroom, but one was the "smoking room" and the other wasn't. I had the smoking dorm...and all the butts. In most prisons, they designate one dayroom as the movie area and the other the sports area. Each dayroom had a tv and several chairs and table for guys to play dominoes or cards, or sit and roll their rollups, or watch tv. My job was to sweep often, keeping the dorm clean in all areas, and clean the bathrooms after showers were closed. Let me tell you, you have never seen a battleground of chaos unless you have seen a bathroom after 30 guys take a shower. Imagine mud, dirt, torn tissue paper, wet tissue paper, used pieces of blue state soap and other stuff all over the bathroom. And who has to clean it...me...by myself. And when it is time to clean the dayroom, who has to sweep all those cigarette butts and roll ups, all that tobacco spilt on the floor, and garbage from canteen that guys were to lazy to put in the trash can only two inches from them....me...by myself. I was also responsible for spraying the walls for footprints and cigarette burns, and clean the windows in the dorm, and wipe the tops of the lockers for dust. That was the pits, and I was being paid LESS than when I was in medium custody, and I did less there. This was the worst job I ever had. But in that was something interesting. I knew that this was the job I was assigned to do, and I had to do it, so I did it the best I could. When I cleaned the bathroom, I didn't take shortcuts, I cleaned everything; all over the toilet, and under, the sinks and the walls, and mopped the floor well. I got down on my knees and scrubbed the shower mats, which were filthy. I did all those things because I used that bathroom too, and I wanted it cleaned that way. Interesting enough, guys started noticing that. I had guys tell me that they appreciated the way I clean up. They said they were glad that I was their dorm janitor because they knew when they stepped into the shower, they knew it was clean. Not all janitors care about their job, and let's face it, it was MY JOB. I didn't like it, but when I used the toilet or took a shower, I knew it was cleaned because I did it. Guys in the dorm appreciated it and that meant a lot to me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't start feeling like some champ about cleaning, but it meant something when you take the worst job, and make it worth something. Even some of the officers took notice, some saying I was the best janitor in the camp. I took a positive attitude to it, there was no need cursing officers for this job. Simply put, the bathroom had to have a janitor, so there I was. What also happened was that some of the inmates started taking care of the dorm, just a bit. They made sure to clean up a little (I do mean a little) because they knew I worked hard to keep the dorm clean. I also had some authority to let guys take a shower even when showers were closed. If they were running late, and really wanted to take a shower, they had to ask me because technically the showers were closed. I rarely said no, and guys appreciated it. Inmates remember who did favors for them, it does come back around. I started out saying this was the worst job, and I didn't change my mind, but you can see that even in the worst of situations you can still salvage some dignity. It proves there is always some ray of hope, even in prison.
If someone asked me what the worst job in prison was, I might have two answers, and unfortunately I had both. There are two jobs in particular, but I will also add on my job at Sanford when they had us dumping slop cans, I really must tell you about that someday. But the two worst jobs I know, and there could be others, but I will state these two: Potwasher, and Dorm Janitor. I think of the two, the Dorm Janitor was maybe the worst of the two. Let me explain what that job entails, from my experience at Pasquotank Honor Grade: Being a dorm janitor pays I think 40 cents a day, and we worked 5 days a week, having 2 days off. We rotated from about 4 guys, maybe 5, in the cleaning. The building on the camp is kinda X-shaped, with each wing being a dorm, and the center being control center. There were 4 dorms, each dorm was kinda split in half, with about 30 inmates on each side, for a total of about 60, maybe a bunk or two more. That means we have to clean up after about 60+ guys. (And you thought cleaning up after two or three was impossible). There are two bathrooms in each dorm, one on each side. Each bathroom had, let me try to remember correctly, 3 or 4 toilets and 3 or 4 sinks, each with a "mirror" (not real glass). At the back of the bathroom is a larger shower area, large enough for maybe 5 guys to shower at the same time, but I have never seen more than 3, two most times. I was responsible for cleaning one of the bathrooms, and the dayroom. The dayroom is where inmates can hang out. Just like bathrooms, there were two dayrooms, one on each side. Inmates in the same dorm can use either bathroom or dayroom, but one was the "smoking room" and the other wasn't. I had the smoking dorm...and all the butts. In most prisons, they designate one dayroom as the movie area and the other the sports area. Each dayroom had a tv and several chairs and table for guys to play dominoes or cards, or sit and roll their rollups, or watch tv. My job was to sweep often, keeping the dorm clean in all areas, and clean the bathrooms after showers were closed. Let me tell you, you have never seen a battleground of chaos unless you have seen a bathroom after 30 guys take a shower. Imagine mud, dirt, torn tissue paper, wet tissue paper, used pieces of blue state soap and other stuff all over the bathroom. And who has to clean it...me...by myself. And when it is time to clean the dayroom, who has to sweep all those cigarette butts and roll ups, all that tobacco spilt on the floor, and garbage from canteen that guys were to lazy to put in the trash can only two inches from them....me...by myself. I was also responsible for spraying the walls for footprints and cigarette burns, and clean the windows in the dorm, and wipe the tops of the lockers for dust. That was the pits, and I was being paid LESS than when I was in medium custody, and I did less there. This was the worst job I ever had. But in that was something interesting. I knew that this was the job I was assigned to do, and I had to do it, so I did it the best I could. When I cleaned the bathroom, I didn't take shortcuts, I cleaned everything; all over the toilet, and under, the sinks and the walls, and mopped the floor well. I got down on my knees and scrubbed the shower mats, which were filthy. I did all those things because I used that bathroom too, and I wanted it cleaned that way. Interesting enough, guys started noticing that. I had guys tell me that they appreciated the way I clean up. They said they were glad that I was their dorm janitor because they knew when they stepped into the shower, they knew it was clean. Not all janitors care about their job, and let's face it, it was MY JOB. I didn't like it, but when I used the toilet or took a shower, I knew it was cleaned because I did it. Guys in the dorm appreciated it and that meant a lot to me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't start feeling like some champ about cleaning, but it meant something when you take the worst job, and make it worth something. Even some of the officers took notice, some saying I was the best janitor in the camp. I took a positive attitude to it, there was no need cursing officers for this job. Simply put, the bathroom had to have a janitor, so there I was. What also happened was that some of the inmates started taking care of the dorm, just a bit. They made sure to clean up a little (I do mean a little) because they knew I worked hard to keep the dorm clean. I also had some authority to let guys take a shower even when showers were closed. If they were running late, and really wanted to take a shower, they had to ask me because technically the showers were closed. I rarely said no, and guys appreciated it. Inmates remember who did favors for them, it does come back around. I started out saying this was the worst job, and I didn't change my mind, but you can see that even in the worst of situations you can still salvage some dignity. It proves there is always some ray of hope, even in prison.