Day 212 4/22/15 D-Yard

Day 212  4/22/15
I went "over the wall" last night, I am no longer in receiving. I left A-Yard (receiving) and am now on D-Yard. D-Yard is where they send the overflow, due to the overcrowding they need beds in receiving so they move us out of receiving and into overflow while we wait for transportation. You usually go over the wall to over flow when you are scheduled for the next bus to CIW, Folsom, or McFarland. The standard wait in overflow can be 1 to 2 weeks, I heard others have waited 3-6 weeks (usually due to medical holds or other issues). I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am out of here in a week.

D-Yard is where they house the long timers, most of the women have 15 years or more, many have life, including L-WOP's (Life without parole). I met my roommates, two are serving life sentences, one has 10 months left on her 15 year sentence, two are doing 10 years and one with 5 years left on her 8 year sentence. The one with only 8 is here because she got caught at CIW with cell phones and picked up new charges that gave her an additional 2 years. Then there is Bee and she is in overflow waiting to go Folsom. I make 8 and this is a 7 person room, Blue my bunkie does not like to have a bunkie she is a lifer and this is her room, she has been down over 20 years so what she says goes or you move out. They are not really happy I have moved in but they are not mean, well except for Tiny she totally hates me and is seriously crazy, she seems to fight with everyone in the room so I am not taking it personal.

When you are on A-Yard you hear all these crazy stories about when you go over the wall there are lifers that will make you pay rent, scrub the bricks, not allow you in your room at certain times, all kinds of stuff, some of it is true but as Blue went over the room rules I got assigned a pretty normal room, the rules are basic respectful rules. I am super clean so that is easy, I'm quite, keep to myself and Blue hates "couch potatoes" no problem there because I hate sitting around and being stuck inside. I will be outside every minute I get. The best part of being on D-yard is the yard opens at 9 am and I can stay out all day long.

Receiving is a dump, because it is not permanent housing, so it is not taken care of and you are not allowed any amenities. On D-yard the rooms are much nicer, more kept up and cleaner. We have outlets, light switches (we can control our own lights), the mattresses are double the size, and we have pillows.My roommates have TV's and radios, we also have a table and chair in our room, the floors have epoxy on them rather than hard cold concrete. We get to use the phone everyday, we can do are own laundry once a week and my favorite we get to go outside in the evenings after dinner.

There are 4 housing units on D-yard each houses 256 women a total of 1024 of us on D-yard, we are not separated or segregated by security levels all levels are housed together, low level ones are housed with high level fours. They open the yard around 9 or 10 am you can go outside or be in the day room (day room has tables, TV's, benches, and phones). A majority of the women go to school or work during the day, I was actually surprised by how many don't work or go to school (it is due to their security level). The yard closes at 3:30 and we all lock down for mandatory count at 4 pm, then we have dinner At dinner they don't rush you out of the chow hall in under 15 minutes, you can stay and eat. The food is the same but you get larger portions (but I actually  think the trays are just bigger). Then the day room opens back up around 6-6:30 pm and the yard opens from 7-8:30 pm.

First things first we got new clothes, no more oranges. I never want to wear orange again. Over the wall you are in blues, light blue shirts, jean pants, blue sweatshirts and state issued tennis shoes. They are much nicer and more comfortable than the oranges in receiving. You can also order and wear your own clothes, shorts, t-shirts, sweat pants.

I spent my first day outside with a couple girls I met that came over the wall with me yesterday, that live in my housing unit. I got a phone call into my family, that call was incredible I had only been dying to make it for over a month! Then I spent the evening walking and talking with my friend Sam.

The days definitely go by a little faster over the wall. Now I am just waiting for that trans-packing dukat, (my notice that I am on the next bus out of here). I have been endorsed to Fire Camp so I will be going to CIW (California Institution for Women in Corona CA) for training.