This section of the OPEEP newsletter, called “A Day in the Life,” is a space to share about the daily lives of students at our partner prison facilities. Our goal with the series is to demystify the everyday lives of incarcerated people and the spaces of prison. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to learn more about prisons and the people they house so that we can work against the harmful stereotypes that buttress our country’s carceral state and logics. So thank you for reading and sharing in this work!
Each contribution is written and shared by the student directly. There is some light editing for clarity and space. Email us at opeep@osu.edu or DM @opeep_osu to share your thoughts on this series.
This month’s submission is from Laura, an incarcerated person at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW). She is a member of OSU’s OPEEP cohort, and is excited to eventually get her degree. While her schedule varies, this is what a typical day looks like.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7:30 AM
I go to get my medication for the day. We have to get medication one by one, each one of us checked off by a nurse. The line is always very long and while I wait, I read my books for class.
8:00 AM
When I get back to my dorm, I make my food for later that day. Yes, we can get food at the cafeteria, but I prefer to make my own choices when it comes to my meals. I buy food at commissary – we are allowed to go twice a month – and we can get ingredients to put together for meals. There’s one microwave for all of the people in our dorm, so I choose to make my food in the morning and then save it to eat when I have time.
9:00 AM
This is my study time. There’s a rec room in my dorm, so I go there to study most days. Sometimes, I go to my college’s study hall when I need to work on group projects or if I have questions.
11:00 AM
This is one of the times for “count”. Every incarcerated person needs to go back to their dorm and be counted. We do this six times a day. During this time, I play a video game on my tablet or take a nap.
12:15 - 3:30 PM
This is when I have class. I walk to the building where class is held. I need to carry my laptop, my books and all of my materials for class. If it’s raining, I have to find plastic bags to cover my laptop since bags aren’t allowed.
4:00 - 6:00 PM
We have count again and I eat my pre-made dinner while waiting. After count I spend time with friends or call family.
8:00 - 9:00 PM
Take a shower and brush my teeth. Right before I go to sleep, I take some time to read a fiction book that I’ve chosen. It’s nice to escape my surroundings for a bit.
10:00 PM
I go to sleep. I’m tired by that time, so I go to bed as soon as it gets quiet, although a lot of people stay up later.