DannyBoyinExile

If it were up to the inmates, our cells would remain unlocked at all times, so we could come and go as we please. And of course, if it were up to the guards, they’d probably remain LOCKED at all times – preferably with us inside.
Officially, this is regulated by the Ingress/Egress Policy. These were originally two French words, which basically mean entrance and exit. But there aren’t many French speakers in TDCJ (excuse my French!), so it has become commonly known as Ins and Outs.
By policy, all cell doors in TDCJ remain locked. Every hour, the guard working each wing is supposed to do an “in”, where the inmates from the dayroom are given a chance to go into their cells, followed immediately afterward by an “out”. In this way, they have the opportunity to grab whatever they need from their cells (such as coffee, something to eat, hot water, or the money they just lost on the Cowboys game!) or maybe even use the restroom, before they are stuck in the dayroom for another hour.
Like most TDCJ plans, it rarely survives first contact with the inmates. For one thing, this policy relies upon the guards adhering to it. Far more often, they’d prefer to do an ” in and out”, as opposed to an in and then a separate out, as that saves them several trips up and down the stairs. Many inmates prefer it that way. If all I want to do is pick up my shower shoes or a library book, I don’t want to be locked in my cell for thirty minutes, waiting for the guard to let me back out. And just imagine if I were next in line for commissary – but they call it while I’m stuck in the cell, waiting to get out… Then it’s back to the end of the line.
Not all guards are conscientious about rolling the doors every hour, much less TWICE an hour, for an in and then an out. Some of them hardly do it at all, and are notorious for how few opportunities we’ll have to get in and out of our cells when they work our wing. It’s not uncommon at all for us to hear “Last in and out!” – a good TWO HOURS before their shift ends!
But some of them ARE sticklers for following the policy – which puts them at odds with the inmates who are determined to disregard it, and grab something from their cells and run back to the dayroom. “Hey! I said IN! In only!” Too late… By slamming their doors behind them, they’re much more likely to be allowed back into the dayroom than to have the picket officer reopen the cell, just to force them to go back in. Sometimes this can get the inmate written up for “refusing to obey an order”, but more likely will just result in a shouting match between the two. Inmates will be inmates, and guards will be guards. (And lazy guards will definitely be lazy guards, as objects at rest tend to remain at rest!) I personally try not to let myself be irritated by small things like that. I know when I’m supposed to be somewhere, so I make sure I’m ready for it, and in position to get there when it’s time. If this means I have to spend a little more time in the dayroom, or stuck in the cell – I should be used to it, after thirty years in prison. I can usually find some productive way to make use of my time, wherever I happen to be. That’s something we should all strive to do. So says DannyBoy.