On May 11, 2023, a fellow incarcerated man here at United States Penitentiary, Tucson, in Arizona, was assaulted and killed in his cell by his cellmate. The prison was locked down as a result. 

At 35 days, it was the longest lockdown I have experienced in the decade I’ve been incarcerated here, but shorter ones happen all the time. We had 98 lockdowns between January and November 2023, according to a running list I keep in a journal. Because they are intended to be punitive, we are pretty limited in what we can do. We can’t even go to the canteen, the prison’s corner store. So everyone has to figure out for themselves how to maintain mental health until we get back to normal operations. 

We never know how long we’ll be in lockdown, but we have to assume it will last a while. 

We each have our own essentials that help us get through, and it helps to already have those items on hand. We also can never predict when lockdowns are going to happen, so we can’t grab things in advance. 

In order of importance, here are my five essentials for surviving lockdowns: 

1. Writing materials: paper, envelopes, mailing labels, stamps
   I’m an avid writer and writing is my most essential activity during lockdowns. Writing gives me control over what I can do. I need to be able to document what we go through so that I can accurately share it later. If I don’t write about this, and the local news doesn’t pick it up, no one will ever know. And if people don’t know, how can they sympathize or work towards improving things? Writing also is therapeutic and helps me sort through my thoughts.
2. Reading materials: Bible, fiction and nonfiction books
   Books are absolutely essential for many incarcerated people. We need something to do while stuck in a cell. Many incarcerated people exercise, but this doesn’t fulfill us intellectually or spiritually. I read my Bible several times a day and write many of my essays based on inspiration from Scripture. I also have many books on writing that I read over and over to get ideas and improve my craft. And, let’s face it, a good John Grisham novel or some fantasy fiction can really pass time. 
3. Nonperishable food: ramen noodles, snacks, coffee
   We still get three meals a day during lockdowns, but we often don’t get as much food. Because we can’t leave our cells to go for chow or to the canteen, we typically get sack meals that leave a lot to be desired. For example, one bagged dinner had four slices of bread, a 2-ounce package of hummus that expired the previous month, a pack of peanut butter and two small packs of jelly. So extra food can make up for what the meals lack — and keep morale up. I just ran out of peanut butter, but I have about half a dozen packs of ramen and a few scoops of coffee in stock. Waking up in the morning to a sip of coffee helps me set a positive outlook for what I know will be a tough day.
4. Hygiene items: toothpaste, deodorant, soap, razors
   Even though I’m stuck in a cell, I still want to take care of myself and keep my routines. It’s important for my morale. I wake up at about 5:30 a.m., brush my teeth, get dressed and hop back on my bed. During normal operations we can shower whenever we are out of cells. The law is supposed to protect our right to access clean toilets and showers. But during a lockdown, we only get a shower every three days — and the showers aren’t cleaned regularly because the incarcerated workers are also locked down. When showers are infrequent, I need to shave in my cell so my face and head don’t get out of control. The laundry department sometimes issues a hygiene kit with state-issued soap and generic brands of toothpaste and a toothbrush, plus five orange Bic razors. Most of us have our preferred brands though, and being forced to rely on the generics can make you feel less than a citizen.
5. Devices: radio, MP3 player, tablet
   Devices may not have made my essentials list in the past, but in 2023 they became critical. I have all three devices, but the radio is the most useful. With just AA or AAA batteries, I can listen to digital radio stations or the prison televisions. For example, the sports TV in my dorm is set at 88.1-FM. If I tune my radio to that, I can listen to the audio from the TV. There are seven TVs in each dorm here, for about 150 people. We have access to dozens of channels, including ESPN, TBS, BBC America, History, Paramount, CBS, SyFy, some Spanish-language channels and a few news channels. But the TVs are all in the dayroom, which we can’t access during lockdowns (unless you are lucky enough to have your cell in the right spot to see some of the TVs from inside). 

Federal prisons now sell tablets that are specifically designed for incarcerated populations and have certain restrictions built in. They allow for entertainment during a lockdown but, unlike my radio, they have to be charged. They also must be revalidated every 14 days or they deactivate. Revalidating is pretty simple: We just need to connect the device to the computer stall and sign in with our personal access codes, registration numbers and fingerprints. But the chargers and computer stalls are located outside the cell. Sometimes a cool corrections officer might charge the devices for us for a few hours. An incarcerated janitor is sometimes allowed to do that as well. But if not, once the devices die, they’ll stay dead until the lockdown ends. Nobody can revalidate your device on your behalf, so after 14 days of lockdown, you’re out of luck no matter what.

What is essential to me may not be to another. But even though I’m writing this from lockdown, today I am able to eat a package of ramen noodles, play Jelly Pop (think Candy Crush) on my tablet, listen to my New Age music on my MP3, read my Christian magazines and books — especially my Bible — and write, write, write. 

These essentials keep my morale high during lockdown, so I can continue to write to open doors of communication and understanding about prison issues.