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  • Rob Will

Noise Pollution

Imagine living in an environment where there is constant teeth clattering bone-shaking noise. Quiet is a thing of fantasy, a much sought after but very rarely-achieved wish. During the day there is non-stop noise around here. Other guys scream-talking, officers yelling and slamming gates and doors— noise, noise, noise. From 6am to 10pm the absolute longest period of quiet may last 2 or 3 minutes. The night hours, from 10pm to 6am are a bit better, 45 minutes to an hour — an entire precious hour! — may go by without any major noise.

Earlier, I was standing at my door attempting to speak with an officer and I couldn’t because it was so loud. I thought “I should write about this. I bet people on the outside have never experienced anything even remotely similar to this.”


The officer was standing right in front of my cell door. I was at my desk when he began talking and I couldn’t hear him so I walked up to the door-screen. We were literally 6-8 inches from each other face-to-face damned near yelling at each other and we couldn’t hear what one another was saying.


He pointed at the recreation sheet and then I understood he was asking me if I was going to rec next round. I nodded “yes.” He nodded “O-K” and left. I remained motionless at my door, listening to the sources of the noise so I could relay them.


Two guys at the opposite end of the run 5 and 6 cells away, arguing, scream-talking. A guy in the dayroom scream-talking to someone downstairs on one-row. People yelling and talking loud, laughing so they won’t cry.


Most people reading this right now are probably at their computer. Imagine if someone was sitting next to you, shoulder-to-shoulder and ya’ll are looking into each others eyes. Ya’lls faces are 8 inches from one another and ya’ll are talking loud, damned near screaming at the top of ya’lls lungs. But ya’ll can’t hear each other because of surrounding noise.

Wouldn’t that be insane? Think about that type of noise pollution existing in your environment consistently, all day, every day. Wouldn’t that be utter and complete torture? …

R.

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