One service I worked for did transports from a local State prison (maximum security). We would enter the prison and go in to a certain point and wait for the prisoner we would be transporting. One time me and my partner were waiting when out a side door came about 8 women all decked out in wedding dresses. A guard there told us it was the annual “marry an inmate day”. It was a very strange situation. The inmates at this prison were mostly in for life, so why would anyone marry them? I know why the inmates married them, the guard pointed out the conjugal visits trailer in the yard on the way out. But what do the women get out of it other than saying their married; after all he’s not going to be around and if she gets pregnant, it’s instant single parenthood.

Another transport I did they had the prisoner shackled to the stretcher with a van containing armed guards following us. I don’t know why this individual was in prison, or cared, but I didn’t think at that point they were much of a threat. They were so ill they couldn’t even raise their head off the pillow. Apparently they don’t tell the prisoners much when it comes to their medical conditions and he had one question of me. Do I have AIDS? Since he was clearly on his death bed and I had his chart I looked through it and thou he had many issues going, that word was nowhere to be found. He looked happy when I advised I did not see that diagnoses.