By Joshua Ryan
Chapter 15: Congratulations. You Are Here Forever
“Just do what I told you,” 8363 said. “Do what I did. It worked for me. They’ll never throw me out of here.”
That’s what I was thinking about while Officer Yan marched me across the Parade Ground to the Examination Rooms, which were part of the Classroom Building. It was February; snow was falling; I’d been in prison for almost a year. I was having my one-year Custodial Review, which would be conducted by an officer in one of the Rooms. I repeated to myself the answers that 8363 had given me. Then I repeated them again, until I was sure I’d got them right. They worked for him; they’d work for me. There was no difference between us.
My assigned officer was Lieutenant Connors. In the corridor, I waited in line, cuffed and shackled, behind the five other criminals waiting to see him. One by one they went in and came out. A couple were crying. The rest appeared stoic. Or indifferent, fated. But in a situation like that, restraints need to be applied to everyone. Officers can never predict when a criminal may do something unfortunate. Then I heard “G023104411!”, and I entered the office.
