Prison Journalism: When what goes around comes around' is a good thingThis common phrase can be a threat in prison -but also a sign of mutual respect.
by Prison Journalism Project
30-05-2023 10:39
in Prison Journalism
Man in handcuffs Image: Adobe Stock
Prison Journalism Project trains incarcerated writers to become journalists and publishes their stories. Subscribe to Inside Story to receive exclusive behind-the-scene looks at our best stories, as well as author profiles and other insights.
--
The phrase What goes around, comes around has been a refrain throughout my life, but its meaning has changed over the years. I used to think of it as a threat, but in prison - one of the unlikeliest of places - I've learned how it can be applied to the spirit of giving.
Over 30 years ago, on a drive home from work, I saw a man driving a red Mazda Miata through my neighborhood toss an empty beer can into the gutter.
Irritated, I got out of my raised Chevrolet Blazer and retrieved the can. A short chase later, I pulled alongside the tiny Miata while it idled at a red signal. I tossed the can onto his empty passenger seat and shouted, What goes around, and added emphasis with an expletive as I drove off.
--
Flash-forward a few years, I was cleaning my two-man cell at Calipatria State Prison in California, sweeping up a day's accumulation of dust bunnies resembling a furry snake. Feeling lazy, I turned my table fan on full blast and sent the fuzzy python slithering under the door onto the floor of the dayroom, the central space with televisions and telephones where people hang out.
A minute later the hulking tier-tender's head showed up, knocking loudly and sending the string of dust back into my cell under the locked door.
What goes around, comes around, he shouted with an expletive before storming off.
--
But since then, the phrase I had considered to be so negative has taken on a more positive meaning.
Years ago, when I first arrived at U.S. Penitentiary Lompoc in Southern California, I had been exhausted after a three-hour intake process and had fallen asleep on my bunk. Suddenly, I was jolted awake by a hand on my foot. I sat up and reached for the intruder. Just outside my cell was a friendly face: Tony, a serial bank robber I knew from the federal lockup in Los Angeles. He smiled at me.
READ: Former Springbok hooker stabbed, his father shot during farm robbery
Don't get up, he whispered.
He pushed a bulging paper bag through the bars. What goes around, my friend! Meet me at the podium for chow tonight.
Inside the bag I found an extraordinary fish (new person) kit: several stamped envelopes, a pen, half a jar of instant coffee, a writing pad, ramen soups, some clothesline string and a honey bun.
Months before, when Tony had arrived at the L.A. detention center, I had seen he was destitute. He seemed like an OK guy, so I had given him a similar housewarming gift, dropping the bag on his bunk while he showered.
ALSO READ: Prison life: The daily routine of an inmate at Pollsmoor
Twenty years later, I walked onto E Yard at Mule Creek State Prison after a bitter encounter with staff because they wouldn't give me my property from Receiving and Release, the department inside prisons where people entering and leaving are processed. A dozen onlookers loitered around, checking us fish out as we entered the compound for the first time.
With a sidelong glance I spied a shaggy-headed, bearded apparition bouncing up and down in the back of the group and calling my name.
It was Lester, my old cellmate from six years before. I had helped him out with supplies for several months at Calipatria State Prison, where I had a job and he didn't.
We met up at dinner and arranged to meet in the yard the next day. I told him that my property sat on a shelf, and I probably wouldn't see my belongings for a week.
Fourteen hours later, Les presented me with the ultimate fish kit: a loaner pair of Nike shoes, a jar of Folgers coffee and everything else I needed to survive.
What goes around comes around.
The expression I had come to know as a warning had evolved and become a sign of mutual respect.
Written by John L. Orr
This article was originally published in partnership with Prison Journalism Project, a national, independent news organisation that trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their writing.
Do you have contact with a prison inmate who would like to write for The South African website?
If so, send an email to info@thesouthafrican.com or a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211
You can also follow @TheSAnews on Twitter and The South African on Facebook to get the latest prisoner journalism articles.
SOCCER QUIZ | FIVE simple answers could win you R500 in cash! ENTER HERE
Most recent headlines
04/12/2023
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, announced the release of Dalet Cut, the cloud-native, lightning-fast multimedia a...
01/10/2023
John Brohel has been named chief executive officer of Locality, formed in June when CoxReps and Gamut were combined....
01/10/2023
AMC Networks said it has begun rolling out an ad-supported version of its AMC Plus streaming service with a price tag of $4.99 a month....
01/10/2023
The second part of the series Our America: Trouble on Tap premieres Saturday, September 30 on various ABC-owned stations. There are three parts and the second o...
01/10/2023
Erika Josephson has been named executive producer of daytime newscast NBC News Daily. She comes from Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC, where she was a senior pr...
01/10/2023
Tegna said it named Kristie Gonzales president and general manager of WXIA-WATL Atlanta, succeeding John Deushane, who is retiring....
01/10/2023
Live from the 2023 Ryder Cup: NBC Golf Team Goes Remote; Shares Studio Ops with ...
01/10/2023
African Proverb of the day: 01 October 2023An African proverb reflects and reveals a community's culture that provides a glimpse into its value systems, bel...
01/10/2023
Gomora 4 Teasers - October 2023Are you ready to be entertained this month? Premiere episodes of Gomora air on Mzansi Magic from Mondays to Fridays at 19h30.
by...
01/10/2023
Gqeberha: The Empire Teasers - October 2023What an entertaining month we have in store. Gqeberha: The Empire episodes airs on Mzansi Magic from Mondays to Frida...
01/10/2023
Generations: The Legacy Teasers - October 2023What an entertaining month we have in store. Generations the legacy episodes airs on SABC1 from Mondays to Fridays...
01/10/2023
Uzalo soapie teasers: What's happening this October 2023?Uzalo continues its fine form this month. Premiere episodes of Uzalo air on SABC1 from Mondays to F...
01/10/2023
Scandal soapie teasers: What's happening this October 2023?This month is going to be intense in Scandal. Scandal! airs on e.tv Mondays to Fridays at 19h30. ...
01/10/2023
House of Zwide 3 Teasers - October 2023This month is going to be intense in House of Zwide. Don't plan to miss any episode. Episode airs every weekday from ...
01/10/2023
Skeem Saam Teasers - October 2023Are you ready for another Skeem Saam rollercoaster ride this month? Skeem Saam airs on SABC1 Mondays to Fridays at 18h30.
by ...
01/10/2023
Muvhango soapie teasers: What's happening this October 2023?Muvhango is full of twists and exciting drama this month. Muvhango airs on SABC2 from Mondays to...
01/10/2023
Soapie teasers: What's happening in 7de Laan in October 2023?Another great month ahead. Episodes air on SABC2 from Mondays to Fridays at 18h00, Don't mi...
01/10/2023
Soapie teasers: What's happening in The River 6 - October 2023?This month is dramatic in The River. The River 5 episodes airs on 1Magic from Mondays to Frid...
30/09/2023
With this summers strikes hurting the flow of new content into TV and streaming platforms, live sports have become an even more important programming staple, wi...
30/09/2023
Viewing of the second GOP debate on Sept. 27 fell to 4.1 million homes, a notable 39% drop from the 6.6 million homes that watched that first GOP debate, accord...
30/09/2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. In the long-running regulatory saga of the FCC's station ownership rules, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has issued a rulin...
30/09/2023
Calrec Audio Ltd. will feature its latest solutions to help broadcasters and OB suppliers transition to IP workflows at NAB Show New York, Oct. 25 26....
30/09/2023
Northern Minnesota residents can watch live City Council meetings and more on all viewing platforms thanks to broad network stream support
Between support for...
30/09/2023
The classic Instreamer-to-Exstreamer combination comes through for Spanish language audiences in the United States and Mexico, with the Instreamer handling remo...
30/09/2023
Zeros in Ones Hits the Road with AJA's Dante AV 4K-R and 4K-T
Brie Clayton September 29, 2023
0 Comments
As founder of video production company Zer...
30/09/2023
Arcturus Appoints Former Microsoft and Lucasfilm Veteran Steve Sullivan as Chief...
30/09/2023
Vodafone Studios Boosts Audiovisual Production Capabilities with Blackmagic Desi...
30/09/2023
Moving Above LTO - How Cloud Storage Helps One Texas Church Deliver a Modern Dig...
30/09/2023
New Pass the Mic Podcast to Highlight Inspiring Berklee Alumni Listen to the first episode featuring Captain Marvel composer Pinar Toprak B.M. '00.
By
Dan...
30/09/2023
African Proverb of the day: 30 September 2023An African proverb reflects and reveals a community's culture that provides a glimpse into its value systems, b...
30/09/2023
Streaming Today: Poison on Netflix - 30 September 2023Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out all the new streaming releases from all your favourite p...
30/09/2023
Live from the 2023 Ryder Cup: Sky Sports Virtual Studio in UK Plays Big Role in ...
29/09/2023
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a fro...
29/09/2023
You might know all the songs and albums of your favorite musicians, but do you know the experiences and inspirations behind their work? Luckily, you can find ou...
29/09/2023
There are times when the daily grind might not leave you feeling the most inspired. But it doesn't always have to be like that. Words of wisdom may be just ...
29/09/2023
Sometimes you might notice a thoughtful review from a friend on your feed, or stumble upon a flash summary straight out of your favorite social influencer's...
29/09/2023
Whether it's chilling on the couch or crashing into bed, nothing beats settling into a nice long rest at the end of the day. And few things are more frustra...
29/09/2023
Which was better, the book or the movie?
It's a common argument that has withstood the test of time and has only gotten stronger as more and more hit tele...
29/09/2023
Whether you like to begin your day the moment you get out of bed or ease gently into it with a cup of coffee, you can count on audiobooks to boost your mornings...
29/09/2023
With elaborate storytelling, immersive worlds, and an enthusiastic fandom hyping it up, getting into a new book can be an exciting and fun moment. And with the ...
29/09/2023
Fans flock to music festivals to see dozens of their favorite artists in one go,...
29/09/2023
Now streaming on Disney+, Launchpad Season 2 comprises six original live-action short films from underrepresented filmmakers whose unique voices bring new persp...
29/09/2023
Wasabi hot cloud storage is purpose-built to store the world's data. Wasabi ...
29/09/2023
Sohonet, the global experts in media collaboration for the film and TV industry, announce a series of significant product updates set to redefine and streamline...
29/09/2023
Current and incoming L3Harris innovations provide warfighters immersive battlefield awareness capabilities during the day and at night - with the ability to pus...
29/09/2023
After graduating high school at the age of 16, I left my native Venezuela and moved to Miami, Florida, with the goal of becoming an electrical engineer. The fol...
29/09/2023
L3Harris employees in Mirabel, Quebec, proudly wore their Mother Bear Energy shirts on September 28, 2023....
29/09/2023
The 2023 edition of GSMA MWC Las Vegas saw a rise in attendees from vertical ind...
29/09/2023
Timed to coincide with the Utah Jazz's 50th season celebration, SEG Media has launched the direct-to-consumer streaming service Jazz+, which offers exclusiv...
Prison Journalism: When what goes around comes around' is a good thingThis common phrase can be a threat in prison -but also a sign of mutual respect.
