No Cinderella Story

Dear friends; one of my fellow prisoner left the following article on my bunk bed, I asked everybody around my cubicle if they saw anybody in my room, nobody saw anybody I do not know who drop the article, some of my fellow prisoners know that I write theis PTO and that I write for some newsletters, so I concluded that the one who wrote the article wish to be hear. Here is her article " NO CINDERELLA STORY" "This story is based on facts seen and experienced in the federal prison system. Location and names are not provided for fear of retaliation against the inmate who wrote the article. The term "Sanitation" means the measures taken to promote health and to prevent disease. In the prison system there is no such word. The word is fictional on a daily basis and only comes into play when we have some sort of ACA inspection and that comes every 3 years. I live in a female prison camp, and I can say that I am throroughly repulsed by the state and condition of our lavatory, bathroom and shower stalls. I live in a camp environment where there are no fences, where in fact we can walk out of here at any given time if we choose to do so. We are nonviolent women and many are professionals. We live here because we have to and have no other choice. At home we choose to disinfect and clean with chemicals that work for us. In the prison the system we are forced to live in circumstances that remind me only of a third world country without the luxuries of chemical cleaning supplies. Our shower stalls are especially horrific. The mold is removed with shampoo and a limited supply of scrubbing powder on a daily basis only to come back again the next day. Some showers were covered in a fibergalss coating and fastened to the walls. The mold is growing behind the fiberglass covering and is growing into the caulking on the corners of the shower stall and cannot be removed with the products that are given to us. There was a time that we were giving us bleach, but they claim it is a safety issue. The word "Safety" is a relative term when the fact is that many of us work with more dangerous things such as power tools, heavy equipment, forklifts, power jacks and many other things that are more a "Safety" issue than the so called "Bleach". The sanitation issue also brings the effects of many mysterious ailments, such as fungus, boils, inflamations, staff infections and a number of strange skin irritations. Never in my life have I ever seen so many ailments caused by sanitation issues. Is it really a safety issue or is it the reality that our federal government, either does not have money to provide us with these necessities or does not care one way or another about our health. I find it a little hard to believe the former. The prison system receives about $23,000 per inmate on a yearly basis. What do they actually do with the money? I know we do not see it. The sanitation supplies are nonexistent and the food is getting worse every day. The medical department is pathetic and that is putting it mildly. Where does the money go and does anybody really care?." I agree completely with what my fello prisoner wrote. I love you all. Yraida