[Assam] Insider story - jail time in the US - my roommate's

[umesh sharma]

Hi,
 
I was thinking of what to highlight - the jail time experience in the US - of one of my current roommate - the other is a IT whiz -ex Microsoft (in Seattle) amd IBM and BITS Pilani grad. 
 
This guy grew up in Washington, his mom is also on welfare (govt paid money) - he gets disability benefits (some mental snags it seems). Sometimes he is very talktative - and yesterday while I was gunning for electromagentism and Kepler's laws and some calculus on the side (with some Sherlock Holmes thrown in) he ventured in and out of my room - his closet is in my room. It was my day off.
 
He is generally to be found at home and I am generally out - yesterday was cold and I was down with cold and sore throat.  He is out of job atleast since June 2008 - he was just kicked out when I was about to start renting here. 
 
It seems ever since I have ventured over the seven seas I am in touch with crime (just before I was about to leave for Harvard - in June-Aug 2004 - my Nepali cousin was poisoned on train enroute to Nepal and died in my hometown - despite my 12 hour a day care for 45 days (and other cousins at other times). The cultprit is doing life in prison. I left on Sep 4, 2004. In Nov 2005 I was robbed at gunpoint in DC - with 3 guys carrying two guns/pistols on Thanksgiving eve - my first snow in DC.  Now I found I have a roommate who was in jail/prison for 5 months - did two "beds."
Last night he told me - his father went in 1 and a half montsh back - for his tenth "bed" - for violating parole - busy chasing women - he says. So some interesting facts from him. I told he that with his free time he could write a book - he can hardly read though he is 27 years old with a 8  month old daughter (and her mom). 
 
The food is good is the jail (which is only a transit facility) -prison is the main long term thing. They even have totally underground prisons - so the inmates see no daylight atall!!
But the three meals you get are just about equal to one meal - so less - and doesn't matter you are fat or thin - everyone gets the same amount. You get turkey on Thanksgiving and menu changes daily. Worst part is that dinner is at 5:30 pm and breakfast is 12 hours away - at 5:30 am. You go to sleep at 10pm still hungry.
 
You don't wanna be there !! He told me. Being in a DC prison is worse than being in some otther region - becos Washington DC has only federal prisons. You can be shipped anywhere in the US - Texas or California or Alaska. Cali is the worst he says - too much gang stuff (he went in for lifting a beer crate from a 7-11) and bloodshed. He complimented me that though he has never seen any Indian in a prison I was likely to survive the dog-eat-dog life there. But its no place for anyone - you don't wanna be there. (Ofcourse noone wants to go there - unless it is the spoilt brats like Britney Spears or Paris Hilton etc).
 
 Life has been tough with him - I mean staying with him - music at odd hours - crowding in the kitchen when I am cooking my weekly beans and rice.. He generally eats good slices of chicken and fish (on govt welfare money) until he runs out of it - and takes some helpings from us other two roommates. Has a fetish for warmth - even in the summer  wants heater - I have to keep my window open (now in the US I find 80F/30C too warm - earlier it felt chilly). Shouting matches have finally stopped - my other roommate is as patient with him as a cow - unflappable. I got to sleep early on Saturdays. 
 
 After the shouting matches he invaribly would mention some vague idle threat about shootings and violence. Have heard that before a lot - but never from a jailbird. After I beat him twice at chess-very quickly - he has cooled down. In his mellowed mood he shared some of his personal stuff - besides his life in jail. In his 27 years he has scored with nearly 90 women - only 15 of them were Hindi cinema types - only kissing etc. But he does not cheat - his child's mother is the only woman in his life. He considers that he has PhD in how to hookup with women. Unfortunately (as I have seen with atleast one of my highschool -mates) , this PhD doesn't get you jobs or respect (except perhaps in stag parties). And no , he cannot write his book. He cannot write - he forgot. Period. 
 
He says he used to be great at physics and math, but he forgot!
 
Any comments?
 
 
 
 

Umesh Sharma

Washington D.C. 

1-202-215-4328 [Cell]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/index.html (Edu info)

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/ (Management Info)




www.gse.harvard.edu/iep (where the above 2 are used )
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/



http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/