There's a reason why certain kinds of persons become prison guards and move on to become prison administrators. Most of them have rather serious personality disorders. They usually suffer from both ego problems and power complexes. Often they also are sadistic, very insecure and defensive; about what one expects from an adolescent boy. A surprisingly large number are miserable, very unhappy, glum victims of their own maladjustment. It's often amusing to see how some of these defects play out in real prison life. One sees what the guards and administrators do and asks himself, "what's wrong with that guy?" Telephone charges to call home from prison are VERY high. For men who try to keep in daily touch with their wives and families, it costs over $2050.00 a year! A certain middle manager at a Pennsylvania state prison, a so-called deputy superintendent, pontificated to a group of prisoners outside the prison commissary. To the prisoners' protests, the deputy responded that phone charges were going to go down. It sounded VERY unlikely. Since prison officials lie a lot, there were both doubts and questions. After the time when the deputy claimed that prices would drop, a prison wrote to the very self-important deputy. Sir: I overheard you assuring a group of prisoners that July would see a reduction in the cost of telephone calls. It's now the fourth of July. I'm still paying $5.69 each for calls. What do you pay? Are the telephone prices going to be reduced and if so, when? Sounds like a reasonable enough inquiry, but that doesn't account for the thin-shins and personality disorders of most prison administrators. The deputy finally sent an indignant retort. My rate deductions are not a concern of yours. I would suggest you consult the rate reduction issue with the group of inmates you heard it from. Besides the dangling preposition and half-literate grammar and syntax, the deputy's response reflects a surprising degree of unresolved anger and egoism. As a taxpayer and citizen it doesn't seem unreasonable for a prisoner to want to know how much a public servant must pay for the service which costs the prisoner so dearly. The response prompts one to wonder what's wrong with the man, why the thin-skin? It's interesting how a supposed competent prison administrator elected to misunderstand the circumstances and to decide that a group of prisoners had said that the rates would be reduced when it was really the deputy who said it. One can't expect prison administrators to be either honest or rational. Nonetheless, they are public employees and bear a few responsibilities. This particular middle manager would, perhaps benefit from therapy. More significantly for the prisoners, the rates for call through MCI were not reduced. The moral is, never ever believe what a Pennsylvania prison official says. Rebecca's Bargain Antiques Collectible Vintage Photos Fine Prints - Old Maps Sheet Music - Old Books Elegant Antiques and Collectibles "Something unpleasant is coming when men are anxious to tell the truth," Benjamin Disraeli, 1831 You are welcome to use or re-publish any of our material. Please give www.prisoners.com credit as the source. Return to the Public Enemies Menu. Return to the Glimpse of Prison Life Menu. Return to the Main Menu. Go to our site Search Feature. Send us Your Comments, Questions or Input.