Rebuilding Rob

I had something really stupid and embarrassing happen to me this past Friday. I went back-and-forth on writing about it. But today I saw this article in the New York Times that talked about prisoners who were being forced in solitary confinement due to understaffing, and it struck a nerve.

Don’t worry. It will all make sense…

As I may, or may not have mentioned on here before, kid 2 is on the autism spectrum. There is an afternoon support center that goes to on weekdays after school where he works on coping mechanisms and socializing, and other day-to-day activities like that.

The center he attends is in a building that was previously a one-story office building. There is a public bathroom in the reception area, which I will use when I am going to either pick up or drop off Kid 2.

Sounds pretty normal so far…

The restroom is not unlike one of those at a restaurant in which there is actually a separate hallway that you entered before going into the restroom itself. Because of that, there are two doors on this restroom: the outer door locks from the inside. The inner door, the one that actually closes off the bathroom, is warped and tends to get stuck in the wooden frame when you close it.

Now, I’ve been using this public bathroom for the better part of the year, and I was well aware that the second door warps, making it difficult to open. Friday however, I was in a bit of a hurry, and did not pay much attention when the inner bathroom door shut behind me. It got jammed in the door frame, and I was not able to open it.

I called the front desk of the center, since they have a phone number posted on the back door just for this kind of situation. I’m not sure what frightened me more: the act of getting locked in the bathroom or the fact that it happens so frequently they actually had a phone number posted on the back of the door. The front desk claimed they were calling out for a locksmith. After an hour, I called the supervisor of the center directly. He said he was waiting to hear from a locksmith as well.

After two hours, I took it upon myself to call the fire department and explain the situation. They had arrived, and had the doors open in less than 20 minutes.

I am not claustrophobic by any means, and it’s not as if I was completely disconnected from the rest of the world while I was stuck in this bathroom. But I think even the strongest-willed person starts to get a little antsy when they are confined. Even though I had running water, a working toilet and a working cell phone, I became very anxious.

I mentioned this incident not to be overly dramatic. On the contrary, it made me really sympathize for incarcerated people; and more specifically, people who are forced to endure solitary confinement.

This morning, I saw a New York Times article about prisoners who were forced to stay in their jail cells due to lack of staffing. Because the prison is understaffed, they have no choice, but to keep the prisoners confined to their cells for most of the day. Unfortunately, this becomes a matter of cleanliness. Prisoners are finding birds, pests, even rodents in some cases, taking up residence in the cells. This is to say nothing about the psychological effect that confinement has upon a human being.

Furthermore, I’ve heard stories about certain states that have the maximum security “super prisons“ in which inmates who have committed particularly heinous crimes spend 23 out of their 24 hours in a day in solitary confinement.

In case, I haven’t made it obvious, I happen to think that the American penal system is seriously flawed. People in this country talk about rehabilitating prisoners, while they are in jail. But the reality is our jail system isn’t about rehabilitation. It’s simply about confinement.

Even after my two hours stuck in a public bathroom, I would not wish solitary confinement upon my worst enemy. Some people think that certain perpetrators of particularly heinous crimes deserve that. Honestly, I would rather somebody be executed, then be subjected to that form of torture.

Maybe I’m just too gentle. But I’ve always believed that two wrongs do not make a right. Even prisoners have basic human rights.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

• Of Training Wheels and Christmas Lights
• Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)
• The Muscle of Empathy
• Where Do We Go From Here? Five Years Since January 6.
• Bugs, Boundaries, and the Art of Not Being Invisible

The article “Trapped in the (water) closet” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.