Case of the stolen pens!!!
Jeannie Remillard
When I started working in a library in a maximum-security prison about 11 years ago, I quickly picked up on the fact that having a sense of humor goes a long way when dealing with convicted felons.
It was a typical day. The library was busy with activity. I stepped away from my desk for a few minutes to answer the telephone. Upon returning to my desk, I noticed that a couple of my pens were missing. I blurted out so everyone could hear “Who stole the pens off my desk?”
Immediately the room grew very quiet. A young man came up and stood by my desk. He said, “Jeannie, I’m not a thief, I’m a murderer.” I replied, “Thank you for sharing that information with me!” The whole room exploded with laughter and the two pens were soon returned.
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March 27th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
Once, at WSR, two inmates were looking for music on our OPACs. One said to the other, “Do you know John Lee Hooker?” to which his buddy replied, “I know my wife is a hooker.”
March 27th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
When I was at WCC an inmate suddenly started yelling “Who took my magazines? I’m gonna kill somebody!” over and over. I tried talking to him to resolve the problem but he wouldn’t stop saying “I’m gonna kill somebody!”. Running out of things to say to him I suddenly blurted “We don’t kill people in the library! You can go back to your unit.” (I still can’t believe I said that) As he was being escorted out of the library, he yelled over his shoulder, “I’m really not a violent person!”.