The start of a new month. The day started out well. No surprise Education Center closure. I was
there at 7:00 am eager to start a new adult continuing education class “Native Peoples of North
America”. The class was proving interesting and I planned to go to the Education Center again
after lunch. The weather outside was rainy so I would not be spending part of the afternoon
outside walking the track.
After lunch, however, my plans came to a halt. There was an institutional lockdown. Within a
few minutes of the lockdown, my Unit Counselor came by to announce there was an educational
town hall in the gym this afternoon, hence the reason for the lockdown and closure of all
facilities. The town hall was about 90 minutes, half of us would attend now; half would attend in
about 90 minutes after the first session was over.
The town hall turned out to be an information session about the First Step Act – what it is and
how to make sure we maintain our eligibility and maximize our participation and benefits. This
was followed by a Q & A session.
The town hall was very informative. Much of it was reviewed for me as I was very well-prepared
and informed about the First Step Act prior to my surrender. Nonetheless, I think it was a great
idea to have held the town hall. There were great questions asked and answered. The staff was
very knowledgeable and prepared and it was well worth the time and minor inconvenience.
The second session ended just before the usual 4th count. After dinner, all services were up and
running, and I spent the evening enjoying my new class in the Education Center.
