Love, Justine

Tuesday

March 26th, 2024

2pm

I went to the doctor here. She exclaimed, “You just left here in November?! What happened??”

I explained what happened.

Then she and the nurse both shook their heads sadly and agreed that “the system is broken.”

Um…you work for the system, ladies. Without people like you, there would BE no system, duh.

5:30pm

So…I went to push Ms. Grumpy Crabass to insulin, and when I came back, there was no dinner tray for me. So I don’t get a dinner. Then douchebag Officer Dickeydo (because his belly hangs out more than his dickey do), called me for the trash, even though it’s not my day. Then they called Med Line in the middle of my phone call with Henry, so I didn’t even get to talk to Jaxon at all. Then I asked Burgundy for a cigarette because I felt like my head was going to explode, and she seems to be ignoring me completely. It’s been hours, and she hasn’t come with one, even though I’m willing to pay back double for it.

8:20pm

Right out of the blue, Burgundy just gave me a whole speech on God and forgiveness.

Huh.

She thinks I’m still disappointed about being here (I am), but that I’m coming out of my shell slowly. She thinks I should examine my situation and find out where I went wrong so I can learn something from it.

She’s probably right.

Thursday

3/28/24

9:10am

Newspaper:  Altoona Mirror, March 22, 2024 article:

“House committees address playground, online safety” by John Finnerty excerpt:

“The Children and Youth Committee also approved House Bill 285, which would specify that incarcerated parents can’t lose their parental rights just because they are behind bars. 

Committee Majority Chairwoman Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia, said there is estimated to be about 80,000 children with incarcerated parents. Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-Philadelphia, the prime sponsor of HB 285, said that, “Taking steps to help incarcerated parents remain involved in their children’s lives is beneficial for both the parents and their children. Inmates who are able to remain connected to their families do better re-adjusting to life outside of prison when they are released, said Krajewski. And children of incarcerated parents stand to benefit, as well, because the trauma of losing contact with a parent can lead to mental health struggles and may make the child more likely to run afoul of the law too. 

‘We cannot allow the already immensely difficult hardship of incarceration to become the sole reason for the shattering of families,’ Krajewski said in a statement released after the committee vote.”

3:20pm

Mail:

“As recorded on March 27, 2024 the Pennsylvania Parole Board rendered the following decision in your case: Detain pending disposition of criminal charges.”

No fucking kidding.