a guitar string, cd player and mop strand
It’s the second visit with this patient, well groomed, quiet young man. And well-adorned with tattoos covering both arms and hands.
I jokingly ask him if he plans to get more tattoos if/when he gets out. He says, no, “I think I have enough. And actually, I got all of these in here.”
What?! How? I mean, these arms and hands are artwork. Intricate designs. Bones on the hands. One on the inside of his arm with the date his mom died, _ – _ -21.
The guys in here are creative. Sometimes just to get by and sometimes, most often, to make a little business for themselves.
So, the tools one needs for creating tattoos in prison: a guitar string as the needle, the innards of a CD player for the gun. And the ink? They take a strand from a mop and tie it to a plastic bag like a wick. Then as it burns, it creates a pile of black soot. Didn’t ask how they light it. And they use alcohol wipes to sanitize.
I’m impressed by the ingenuity when resources are lacking and time is abundant.
Another patient asked me what a “perfume chemist” was called. “I’m not sure but I’ll look it up for you……It’s a “fragrance chemist.”
Ok, that’s what I am….a “fragrance chemist.” “Why do you ask,” I ask him. He replies that he puts together scented oils in different combinations and sells them. He does indeed come in smelling like cinnamon or lavender.
They’re allowed to have these items as long as the vials are plastic and the oils are non-alcohol based. He tells me he’s going to sell these when he gets out so he can begin to build his catering business back up. I admire his hope but can’t help but think how many of those he’s going to need to sell in order to buy a grill.
And there’s another patient whose porter co-worker shouts out to me how good this guys candies are. “What, you’re making candy in here?” He’s proud to tell me how.
Yes, to make candy, they take coffee creamer, add Koolaid powder, sugar and water and it apparently makes a taffy-like candy. Smash up cookies and water to make a cake like substance and add peanut butter and syrup make a caramel-like substance—smoosh this between 2 other cookies and you have an ice cream sandwich.
I’m sure I’ll hear more creative endeavors as my time expands here—Continuing to be impressed when time is abundant and resources are sparse.
*just to note, I’ll be leaving out the name of the institution that I work at. It’s a state prison for reference. Images are not from the prison as no devices are allowed in.
Prison PT 
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