So how do you prepare yourself for prison? Well to be honest, I didn’t prepare so I wouldn’t be the best person to ask. I didn’t think I would lose my trial. Arrogance? Ignorance? Confidence? Probably a mix of all three it’s just how I’m wired. But the reality is I made a huge mistake taking the system for granted.
I remember standing in the elevator getting ready to go to the cellar of the courthouse to get processed for jail saying to myself, “What now? What the hell do I do now?” For the first time in my life, I didn’t have a plan. It was coming fast and hard.
I was processed and placed in a holding cell with five other guys. Not too bad when it is built to hold twenty. But over the next eighteen hours, thirty six other guys filled the room…or overfilled I should say. Most were brought in overnight either still riding high or crashing from a long bender. There was only one toilet for the whole room and no food was served until six in the morning. Guys were rummaging through the garbage eating leftovers and scraps for that day’s dinner. I was stunned to say the least.
There was one phone in the room but I didn’t know how to dial out from jail and I wasn’t looking to start a conversation with anyone in the room. So I just sat on the cement ledge that was supposed to be a seat and tried not to fall asleep. At that time, the only thing you want close to you is God. Although I really wasn’t ready to talk to him just yet. I was really pissed off at him.
But God did show his hand. It took him a while. On Monday morning, he reminded me that he wasn’t far from me.
More to come next week. Thanks for reading. God bless. -MB
Michael Barnes' Story 