Читать книгу Prison Puzzle Pieces 3 - Dave Basham - Страница 29

Sgt. Dodge loved to play guitar and sing. The inmates loved to hear him play and sing. At times they would play with him. They told me he preferred folk music. Whether it was playing in a cell with an inmate, on the flag or at the sergeant’s platform in D-Hall, he would play. He would also show them a thing or two about how to play.

I played guitar, but never in the prison. On the outside, I gave guitar lessons. This was a good neutral subject to have a conversation about with an inmate. Some wanted me to play for them, with them or show them things.

First of all, I did not think that was something I could do without getting into trouble. I did not have the clout that Sgt. Dodge had earned over his time in this place.

Second, I would not dare touch an inmate’s guitar. Strings break. Strings break very easily when I play. I never wanted to be the cause of an inmate not being able to play his guitar. There would be a large time delay on being able to replace them. They just can’t run out to the store and get them, they have to order them. I am not allowed to bring anything into the institution, so I would not be able to help. In addition to that, the paperwork would’ve been a major pain. I would have to write up an incident report and I don’t know what I would’ve had to do to be able to pay for the broken string or strings. Things that are simple outside of these walls can be real complicated inside these walls.

I decided it was best to only have one guitar playing officer in this prison. That was Sgt. Dodge’s territory.

The inmates would show each other different techniques. I would explain things and talk them through it. I viewed that as something that would be acceptable. I had lots of instructional sheets and music that I could bring in if it were authorized, but what you do for one, you must do for all. I could not bring in a musical scale and give it to an inmate. I had a conversation with my lieutenant. I asked him that if I posted materials on the bulletin board, so that all would have access to it, if that would be acceptable. He said it would and authorized it.

For over a year, I would bring in informational sheets and music and post them on the bulletin board for all to see. The guys really appreciated it. I would frequently see these guys copying this information down so they could work on it in their cells. This came to an end when B-West got double bunked. That’s when we wound up with too many clientele that just wanted to create problems.