HOPE HALL

HI EVERYONE!

I'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE ALMOST THE ENTIRE DAY, STRAIGHTENING THINGS OUT...AND I FEEL A BIT EXHAUSTED RIGHT NOW.....

AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M SURE, BUSINESS PHONE CALLS , IN OUR DAY AND AGE, ENTAIL TALKING INTO VOICE MAILBOXES, ANSWERING MACHINES, AND STAYING ON THE LINE FOR ENDLESS MINUTES, WHILE MUSIC PLAYS!

THE FIRST FEW DAYS WHEN JIMMY MOVES TO A NEW FACILITY, ARE EXHAUSTING TO ME, BECAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO HAS TO GET EVERYTHING STRAIGHTENED OUT.......

IF YOU ARE A PRIISON WIFE, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I MEAN.....A "GOOD" PRISON WIFE, WILL BE PERSISTENT, AS I AM, AND HELP YOUR HUSBAND OUT...............SOME WOMEN DON'T CARE, AS JIMMY TELLS ME, AND THE INMATES GO AROUND COMPLAINING, AND FEELING UNLOVED, AND WITH THEIR HANDS TIED, AS THEY HAVE NO ONE TO DO THINGS FOR THEM .

I SPOKE TO JIMMY'S COUSELOR TWICE.  ALSO, TO THE PAROLE OFFICER............AT FIRST THERE WAS A MIX UP, ABOUT HIS RETURNING TO WORK...BUT IT WAS TAKEN CARE OF.  I EXPLAINED THAT IT IS "MANDATED" BY THE STATE PAROLE BOARD OF NEW JERSEY, THAT JIMMY RETURN TO WORK NEXT WEEK.  MY HUSBAND IS ACTUALLY A SPECIAL CASE, AS HIS JOB AT IGA FOODSTORE HAS BEEN HELD FOR HIM SINCE DEC. 2005...I BELIEVE IT WAS THE PAROLE OFFICER AT LOGAN HALL, THAT SPOKE WITH THE PAROLE OFFICER AT HOPE HALL............ANYHOW, HE WILL BE RETURNING TO WORK ON TUESDAY, NOT MONDAY...........NOW, I HAVE TO EMBARASSINGLY CALL THE OWNER OF IGA, AND TELL HIM THE CHANGE OF DAY........(JIMMY, MY HUSBAND SAID HE WILL CALL, AS I FEEL TOO EMBARRESSED TO DO THIS)..................BUT ANYHOW, THINGS ARE MORE SETTLED NOW.

THE PHONE SYSTEM IS NOT ALL THAT GREAT AT HOPE HALL....EACH MAN HAS A SCHEDULE TO FOLLOW.  EACH CALL IS 1/2 HOUR.....JIMMY'S SCHEDULE IS 3PM, 4:45 PM, AND 2AM.....HE ALSO WAS ABLE TO CALL ME AT 6AM, BECAUSE HE SAID ALL THE GUYS WERE ASLEEP.........OF COURSE, THEY ARE UP ALL NIGHT ON THE PHONES............YOU SEE, PHONE CALLS ARE CHEAP, USING EITHER PHONE CARDS, OR DIRECT COLLECT CALLS (NOT PRISON CALLS)...............................(I told jimmy i may be asleep at 2 am.......just kidding!)

THERE ARE ONLY AROUND 4 PHONES......THERE ARE ONLY AROUND 11 MEN IN THE HALF-WAY BACK PROGRAM,AS JIMMY IS...THEY ARE ALL ON PAROLE.....THERE ARE DIFFERENT SECTIONS, AND THERE IS AT LEAST 100 OTHER MEN, WHO ARE NOT ON PAROLE...........

VISITIBG HOURS ARE 6 DAYS /WEEK, WHICH IS VERY LENIENT.  YOU CAN BRING FOOD, AND MAKE A PICNIC OF IT!.....JIMMY SAW A SIGN FOR KARAOKE NIGHT, TOO.

BESIDES THE FACT THAT OUR CALLS ARE SO RESTRICTED , EVERYTHING IS OK.....I FEEL BETTER NOW, THAT EVERYTHING IS DONE, AND SETTLED..........I WILL GO FOOD SHOPPING TOMORROW.......JIMMY WILL BE ABLE TO CALL ME ON MY CELL PHONE AT 3PM.....

WELL. I'LL GO SIT OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE, ON THE PATIO, AS THE WEATHER IS BRIGHT AND SUNNY!..............Fran