Convict to Conversion
part 5
Have you ever been in the hospital. The flow of the air seems so minimal you can literally smell everything. Well, add about ten different smells to that, body odor, dry mouth, foot odor, food cooking in the microwave, the sweet stale cigarette smoke when the guards come into the room to do well checks. Every smell you could imagine it was there.
Mealtime was like children in another country starving waiting to eat. Almost like a reality show. The cart would come around, the guard would yell chow, you would grab your orange cup and spork (they probably have been used thousands of times by anyone ever arrested). Time to line up. One at a time you would juggle your tray of cold slop in one and use your the other to hold your cup while you became talented enough to use one finger to push the button to pour your watered-down warm tea or juice into your cup.
Ice is not an option, hopefully you were able to order commissary or knew someone who would share their condiments with you. Take turns warming your food back up in the microwave and tweak it so it was at least edible. Then to a small square metal table with 4 circle seats that were attached to it , so you could eat. After you would share what's left on trays or throw it away. Then sit there and wait again for the cart to come around so you could hopefully grab more warm liquid and place the empty trays back on the cart and slam once again your locked in.
Some people go back to their metal bunks and sleep until the next round of chow and others play cards or watch tv. The emotional damage you see, and feel is so unreal. It truly is as if you are watching a reality star and I Elishia Welsh am you co-host. The verbal abuse you receive is intolerable and you know there is nothing you can do about it. Who is going to listen after all you broke the rules to get there.
Court came and went, I plead guilty to 2 years. I stayed strong I looked over to my dad and stepmother and told them it was okay, I was ok. I waited for the day to comee to finally just get it over with. This all happened during covid, it was awful the masks were you already couldnt breath in there. Watching the girls who werent going to prison get out and come back three, four, five times, before I ever even left.
Get Elishia Welsh’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
It was heartbreaking and so unbearable how are we all on probation but the ones always in trouble who have an addiction so bad missed their drugs more than their children were getting more chances then the 5 of us who raise our children and made one mistake. Finally, the day came, and they called my name to leave. My luck I got into the van and was told to get out. What I thought. This cannot be happening. The prison decided they weren't ready for us as one of the 3 of us (not me) tested positive for covid.
So the three of us get placed into a 2-cell pod where I had no roommate. The two girls who shared a cell would come out for a few hours then we would switch it was so ridiculous. About a week passed, I was placed back into the pod where there were once 5 girls and now just 4. I get woken up one morning really early and am told I have 10 minutes to pack up I can't leave anyone anything I need to throw it all away.
Back in the van we go this time the three of us get halfway down the road. Then once again turn around. What in the world!! Well, finally we get back to the jail get out and am told turn back around and get back into the van. thru town we went seeing the world moving without us. Hoping to see one person even if they don't see us just to have that thought it is going to be okay.
A few hours later we made it we pull up this long road and turn onto a another. It was so scary like pulling up to the boarder. There were gold carts and guards, they had these tiny little stations by the electric fence. A man comes out in a white uniform has us get out of the van, does a check over in and out to make sure we weren't bringing anything extra into their prison.
The gate clicks and opens it had to be 20 feet high. Inside we see building after building and women in blue and grey tops and blue pants walking all around with guards on bikes in gold carts and on foot standing all around. I later learned where the women were walking was called “the yard” and the men and women in uniform with a badge we called “yard dogs.”
We pull in to the left and park. “We have arrived ladies the jail guard who transported us explains.” We get out stretch our legs and take the walk up to the first building that says reception. Now another journey will begin.
We have gotten through the 5-part series of my incarceration to the Marion Ohio, Multi Correctional Facility. If you are still with me and intrigued, you really will be in this next series of Inmate #106–529. Thanks for reading I hope my story has given your insight and for those who have been there I hope knowing me sharing our story lets you know you haven't been forgotten.
Follow me on Facebook, twitter, pod bean , and soon to come my YouTube channel. Elishia Welsh. Thanks again for allowing me to tell my story.
