It Happens More Than It’s Talked About

By T King
Coeffield Unit, Texas
April 2021

First, let me say Thank you so much, you guys are Awesome for what you do for us locked away.

I’m writing to get your take on an issue that happens more than it is talked about.

My name is T. King & I’m a lifer on the Coffield unit in Texas. The largest & one of the oldest joints in the Lone Star State. Being a maximum-security unit, movement is restricted, understandably, so you’re either locked in your cell or the day room & now during COVID-19 it’s 2 hours instead of 1 hour at a time. Sometimes you can get stuck in there 3-5 hours depending on if the count clears in time.

Here’s my plight: There’s nowhere to go number 2. We have a urinal, but no toilet. I never thought much about it because they did in/out every hour, but one day I went outside & once you’re out, you’re out for 2 hours & when I came back in, they moved us straight to chow. When I got back to my wing, I was locked in the day room longer than usual. I begged the sergeant and pleaded for him to let me in my cell. He kept telling me one more minute, then I couldn’t hold it anymore. I laid out a state-issued shirt & went on it, rolled it up & threw it out the window.

Medically, I have a chronic disease that causes me to go a lot, plus my meds worsen it.

When I complained & grieved the issue, I was told it was my choice to “show my ass in front of everyone.” I said the only other choice was to go in my pants. Their response was, “I could have held it.”

P.H.N. Am I wrong?

If this topic is something you want to expose, you have my permission to use my name and this story.

Thank you.