hall, keeping to the left side of the center of the mess hall; Block #2 line will go forward at the same time, keeping to the right side of the center of the mess hall; both lines proceed to the serving table, right line served from the right and will occupy tables on the right, left line served from the left side and will occupy tables on the left side of the mess hall. 3
In the dining hall, every aspect of the eating process was prescribed, from start time to posture:
As each man is served he will sit erect with hands at his side until the whistle signal will be given for the first detail to begin eating. Succeeding details will follow the same procedure except that the signal to start eating will be given by the detail guard as soon as the last man in his detail is seated.
Twenty minutes will be allowed for eating. Guards will remain in their designated positions until their details have finished eating. When prisoners have finished eating, they will place knives, forks, and spoons on their trays, knife on top of and at the left, fork in the center, and spoon on the right side of tray. They will then sit erect with hands down at side. After all in detail have finished eating, guard will walk to each table and see that all utensils are in proper place. He will then return to his position. 4
Prisoners picked up a tray and walked by food containers, directing inmate servers as to what they wanted. There was no limit on the amount of food the men could take, but they were required to eat everything they took or risk losing the next meal. 5
By 7:30 A.M . breakfast was over, and inside work crews proceeded to their assignments, while industry details lined up in the yard according to shop assignment. For a few minutes, workers could talk or smoke (roll your own cigarettes) until a whistle sounded, at which time they marched out through the yard gate in two ranks and proceeded down the steps to the shop areas. At 9:30 A.M . a rest period of eight minutes began during which inmates could smoke and go “one at a time” to toilets.
At 11:15 A.M . work stopped, inmates marched back up to the cell house and their cells for another count, after which a twenty-minute period for lunch was allowed; at 12:00 noon men reported to sick call or for interviews with the warden, deputy warden, mail clerk, or the chaplain; at 12:30 P.M . inmates marched back to work, where they stayed, with another eight-minute break, until the work day ended at 4:10. Inmates were back in their cells to be counted at 4:20, marched to supper at 4:25, and were back in their cells for a standing count at 4:50 P.M . For the next fourteen hours of each day they did not leave their cells. By the time the wakeup bell woke them up the next morning, inmates had been subjected to fourteen counts in the previous twenty-four hours:
6:30 A.M .
Wake-up call
6:50 A.M .
Count
6:55 A.M .
Line up for march to dining hall
7:00 A.M .
Breakfast
7:30 A.M .
Proceed to work assignments
9:30 A.M .
Eight-minute rest period
11:15 A.M .
Morning work period ends, followed by count
11:30 A.M .
Dinner
12:30 P.M .
Proceed to work assignments
2:50 P.M .
Eight-minute rest period
4:10 P.M .
Afternoon work period ends
4:20 P.M .
Count
4:25 P.M .
Supper
4:50 P.M .
Return to cell
Floyd Harrell provided an inmate’s perspective on the daily routine:
On a weekday your day began about seven o’clock in the morning by the ringing of a bell. You were expected to get up, make up your bed, attend to your toilet, sweep up your cell. About fifteen or twenty minutes later another bell would ring and you were to stand at your door with your hands on the bars while the count was made. If the count was okayed, another bell would ring and you would wait for your particular cell block to be opened and you would proceed into the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast, if you were fortunate enough to have a job, you went out on the yard and lined up in certain places for the laundry, the tailor shop,
In the dining hall, every aspect of the eating process was prescribed, from start time to posture:
As each man is served he will sit erect with hands at his side until the whistle signal will be given for the first detail to begin eating. Succeeding details will follow the same procedure except that the signal to start eating will be given by the detail guard as soon as the last man in his detail is seated.
Twenty minutes will be allowed for eating. Guards will remain in their designated positions until their details have finished eating. When prisoners have finished eating, they will place knives, forks, and spoons on their trays, knife on top of and at the left, fork in the center, and spoon on the right side of tray. They will then sit erect with hands down at side. After all in detail have finished eating, guard will walk to each table and see that all utensils are in proper place. He will then return to his position. 4
Prisoners picked up a tray and walked by food containers, directing inmate servers as to what they wanted. There was no limit on the amount of food the men could take, but they were required to eat everything they took or risk losing the next meal. 5
By 7:30 A.M . breakfast was over, and inside work crews proceeded to their assignments, while industry details lined up in the yard according to shop assignment. For a few minutes, workers could talk or smoke (roll your own cigarettes) until a whistle sounded, at which time they marched out through the yard gate in two ranks and proceeded down the steps to the shop areas. At 9:30 A.M . a rest period of eight minutes began during which inmates could smoke and go “one at a time” to toilets.
At 11:15 A.M . work stopped, inmates marched back up to the cell house and their cells for another count, after which a twenty-minute period for lunch was allowed; at 12:00 noon men reported to sick call or for interviews with the warden, deputy warden, mail clerk, or the chaplain; at 12:30 P.M . inmates marched back to work, where they stayed, with another eight-minute break, until the work day ended at 4:10. Inmates were back in their cells to be counted at 4:20, marched to supper at 4:25, and were back in their cells for a standing count at 4:50 P.M . For the next fourteen hours of each day they did not leave their cells. By the time the wakeup bell woke them up the next morning, inmates had been subjected to fourteen counts in the previous twenty-four hours:
6:30 A.M .
Wake-up call
6:50 A.M .
Count
6:55 A.M .
Line up for march to dining hall
7:00 A.M .
Breakfast
7:30 A.M .
Proceed to work assignments
9:30 A.M .
Eight-minute rest period
11:15 A.M .
Morning work period ends, followed by count
11:30 A.M .
Dinner
12:30 P.M .
Proceed to work assignments
2:50 P.M .
Eight-minute rest period
4:10 P.M .
Afternoon work period ends
4:20 P.M .
Count
4:25 P.M .
Supper
4:50 P.M .
Return to cell
Floyd Harrell provided an inmate’s perspective on the daily routine:
On a weekday your day began about seven o’clock in the morning by the ringing of a bell. You were expected to get up, make up your bed, attend to your toilet, sweep up your cell. About fifteen or twenty minutes later another bell would ring and you were to stand at your door with your hands on the bars while the count was made. If the count was okayed, another bell would ring and you would wait for your particular cell block to be opened and you would proceed into the dining room for breakfast. After breakfast, if you were fortunate enough to have a job, you went out on the yard and lined up in certain places for the laundry, the tailor shop,
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