Killing The Blood Cleaner (2 page)

TWO

At dawn that day, in M Building, Henry Kirk lay on his concrete bunk and thin institutional mattress going over his preparations. Looking furtively around the cell he confirmed that all the needed items were at his disposal. With a smile he reached under the mattress and retrieved a slightly crumpled photo of a nude blonde woman which had been torn from a magazine. The woman was bent over in a seductive pose and wore nothing except a white nurse’s cap. He stared at the photo for some time and thought again how much the photo looked like Nurse Tacy in the clinic, and how finally, today, he would be enjoying that pert little body all to himself. Putting the photo away he heard the initial preparations for the delivery of breakfast with the clanging of gates and the sound of voices.

An inmate trusty, accompanied by a guard, made their way with the metal breakfast cart and its eleven insulated food trays into M Building.

M Building squatted in the southern corner of the huge courtyard of Georgia Maximum Security Prison. Between it and the Administration Building were four electronically locked sally port gates. M building was a one-story whitewashed cinder block building surrounded by its own ten foot, razor wire fence and “sanitized” perimeter which was made of white bleached stones. Any item thrown over the fence could be easily detected. Its seven windows were narrow glazed slits with thick opaque glass encased in heavy, gray, gunmetal frames.

There were three guards assigned to the building. One guard was always stationed in the bulletproof glass enclosed Control Room. The glass was heavy enough to give the officer inside from four to ten minutes of safety, depending on the size and weight of objects thrown against it, if the inmates took control. The Control Room operated the electric lock to the front gate and to the two heavy metal and glass sally port entrance doors to the building. From the Control Room there was a clear view of the outside fence gate through the sally port doors, along with the electric locks to the individual cells. Six video monitors in the Control Room also added to the security of M Building.

Two inmates swept the path leading up to the fence gate of M Building. The Control Room officer watched them carefully that day, occasionally glancing at the monitors. Another armed guard in a tower outside the prison, from time to time, would glance at the sweeping inmates, leaning on the rail of the tower and making sure they knew they were observed. All involved were aware of the problem of two days before. Somehow, a piece of sharpened white plastic had made its way into the building. Fortunately, the inmate was quickly overwhelmed by his two escorts and the injuries to one officer were minor. This shank was one of the four in Darla Cooper’s desk to be used in evidence.

Beyond the Control Room was a row of twelve single cells. The doors to the cells were one piece of solid metal with only a slit for a food tray and a small barred window at face level. Inside each cell was a concrete slab where the inmate’s mattress was placed, along with a stainless steel toilet and sink. The hall in front of the cells contained four televisions mounted near the ceiling. There was also a treadmill and a rowing machine in the hallway in front of the cells. At the end of the row was a metal door which led to an outside exercise courtyard which was about twenty feet square and enclosed by white cinderblock walls.

In M Building, inmates were only allowed out of their cells one at a time and only with two guards present. The inmates were allowed one hour of exercise per day, five days a week. On clear days they were allowed to use the walled courtyard. On rainy days they used the exercise equipment in the hall. The televisions ran twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Usually, most of the inmates who were not the individual being allowed to exercise were to be found at the metal window of their cells watching the televisions with slow blinking eyes.

One of the cells had been converted into a “law library.” Inside this cell was a metal table bolted to the wall and a lightweight plastic chair. Inmates were allowed to request legal materials from the main prison law library and to review these legal materials in this cell for four hours a week. Once a month they could request a trip to the main law library under heavy escort. While only a few inmates used the law library on a regular basis, Henry Kirk always made a point of using all his law library time and always requested a trip to the main law library.

This cell was also used by the Pill Call nurse to examine inmates for very minor ailments and to dispense medications. If the problem was anything beyond a cold or headache the inmate would be taken to the Medical Unit. At all times when the nurse was on the floor she was escorted by two officers and the door to this cell was left open.

M Building was the highest security area in the Georgia prison system, outside of Death Row. It took quite a bit of bad behavior for an inmate to end up in M Building. Once there, the stays were typically two years or more. Because of the intense staffing, the Department was very selective on the use of these high security resources. In general, an inmate had to demonstrate on several occasions that he was unpredictably violent and dangerous, especially to staff. Occasional fighting or even the killing of another inmate was not enough. There were lots of inmates who stood their ground against aggressors and time and time again were involved in fights and sometimes killings. There were other security environments for these inmates.

M Building was also not technically a “punishment” environment. Typically, the inmates in M Building had already been punished for their particular infractions by incarceration in a separate Lockdown Unit which consisted of single cells, limited exercise, no visitation and no television. The inmates called this area, “the Hole,” and to an outside visitor it seemed quiet and peaceful with no televisions blaring and most of the inmates sleeping quietly in their cells. However, deprivation of interaction with others and loss of contact with the outside world via television was sufficient for most inmates to consider it punishment to be avoided.

The inmates in M building were allowed to watch television, have limited visitation, and were allowed such personal items as radios and books. The point was to create a controlled environment where these inmates could not attack each other or staff and where they could serve vast stretches of time without endangering others.

The rest of the prison had a variety of security environments. Most inmates who qualified for general population were housed in a dormitory with fifty other inmates, supervised by an officer in a Control Room. Another officer, from time to time, entered the dorm to make checks and to provide a security presence on a regular basis. In addition, there were other specialty areas such as the “Sissy dorm” for active and aggressive homosexual inmates and the “Sick” dorm for inmates with chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. There was also a Protective Custody dorm for inmates who claimed their lives were in danger and for former police officers and the like.

For general population inmates there was some freedom of movement within the prison. There were movies, church services, sports teams, job assignments, library and law library visits and regular visitation with relatives. A Classification Committee of officers classified each inmate as to his housing assignment within the prison. The crime committed by the inmate was of less importance to the Committee than his ability to get along with others. This classification system often had peaceful murderers with lower security classifications than supposedly nonviolent offenders such as burglars. The system had long ago determined that a murder done out of passion or under the influence of vast amounts of alcohol or drugs did not necessarily predict the capacity for violence of an inmate once he was detoxed and behind bars. The emphasis of classification focused on the inmate and how he acted. In general, the classification system worked very well at keeping the peace in the prison. Indeed, murderers tended to heavily populate the Law Clerk positions in the law library as they most often fit the criteria of inmates with long sentences who were unlikely to hurt others and who had the education and mental capacity to understand the workings of a law library.

That day, officer Jason Tibbs, in preparation for his contact with the inmates, switched on his tiny digital recorder and placed it in his pocket. His partner, officer Roger Sims, watched as the two of them stood outside the Control Room in M building. “I know I am paranoid, Roger, but since that plastic shank got in here the other day I like to have my very own record of what is said. If we have to fuck up somebody like Kirk he will no doubt say we tried to grope him or something,” officer Tibbs explained. Officer Sims nodded his approval and they began their walk of the hall of M building, looking into each cell where there was not a face watching television. The Control Room officer busied himself making coffee and watching the monitors.

Officer Tibbs noticed inmate Henry Kirk lying quietly on his mattress with his face to the wall. Once the officer had passed, Kirk sat up and picked up his transistor radio from the floor by his mattress. He pulled the battery out and attached a small wire from his pocket to the terminals of the battery. He jerked out the small plastic receptacle into which the battery terminals had been plugged and threw it on the floor. This allowed enough room in the battery compartment for the battery and its newly attached wires. He clicked the plastic cover over the battery and wires into place. Kirk then reached over and picked up his shoe. With his fingernail he pulled a sliver of a razor blade out of the rubber heel. He used the blade to make a small cut inside his lip. He pressed the cut with his fingers and allowed the blood to pour down his chin. He spread the blood with his fingers around his mouth and cheeks. He then rolled up his sleeve and made another cut which produced a slightly larger amount of blood. Using his fingers he grabbed the remains of his breakfast and mixed it with the blood on the front of his shirt.

It was about thirty minutes later when officer Tibbs was again at Kirk’s window. “You OK Kirk?” he yelled without really expecting a response.

Kirk turned over exposing his red face and reddened scrambled eggs on his shirt. “I think I have been throwing up blood,” Kirk said as he rolled back into the wall with a dramatic cough.

“How long has this been going on?” Tibbs asked.

“All night, but it has just gotten bad recently. I’m okay though,” was Kirk’s response.

“We will be getting you to medical. So get ready,” officer Tibbs responded, looking at Kirk and his soiled shirt.

“I don’t want to go. Last time the medicine made me sick,” Kirk said.

“You’re going to medical. And change your shirt,” officer Tibbs ordered.

Once officer Tibbs had moved on, Kirk removed his dirty shirt. Kirk then reached for the vent and again using his fingernails inched a nine inch piece of white sharpened plastic from the space inside. He carefully taped the plastic knife to the center of his back. He then put on another shirt which had been lying crumpled on the floor. He put the transistor radio and a small earphone in his pocket. He again reached for his breakfast tray and spread a small amount of blood and his leftover scrambled eggs on the front of the shirt. Just enough of a mess to deter an officer from a thorough pat down search.

Officer Tibbs had moved on to the cell of inmate Brannon. Brannon was at the window of his cell yelling to the officer, “Tibbs, I got me the runs real bad. Can you take me to medical?” he asked.

“Are you going to fight us all if I let you out?” Tibbs asked.

“I can’t fight anybody today, Tibbs. Yo Mamma could whip my ass,” Brannon replied.

Tibbs could see the brown splashes all over the stainless steel toilet and could smell that there had been a problem. “My Mama could whip us both on our best day and I think you remember that from when you and your brother used to see her at the football games. But I’m going to take you medical even though you are trying to mess with my Mama,” Tibbs replied with a smile.

Officer Tibbs walked to the Control Room door and signaled the officer. The lock clicked and Tibbs, followed by officer Sims, entered the Control Room. Inside the Control Room was a metal control panel which stretched out along the full length of the glass front. On the control panel were red and green lights for each lock in the building. All the locks were lit red showing that all locks were locked. Above the panel were the six video monitors which gave the Control Room officer a view of the cells, the cell block hallway, the front gate, perimeter views of the building, the exercise courtyard and the Control Room itself. These same videos could also be displayed in the Main Control Room of the prison if desired. In general, only the view of the M building Control Room was monitored in the Main Control Room of the prison.

At the back of the Control Room was a rack of nightsticks, hand held electric shock devices and a rubber bullet gun which had a three inch barrel like a blunderbuss. These were the only weapons allowed inside the prison. Each officer carried a nightstick, but the use of the electric shock devices had to be approved by a Captain or higher except in an emergency. The use of the rubber bullet gun had to be approved by the Warden or the Deputy Warden of Security. As security was tight in M building, the shock devices and rubber bullet gun were rarely used. From time to time, an inmate would attempt to attack one of the two officers when allowed out of his cell. The nightsticks were generally more than sufficient when wielded by two trained officers to regain positive control over most inmates.

On a table on one side of the Control Room was a large bound Logbook in which the officers recorded the daily activities of M building. Tibbs walked over to the Logbook and wrote quickly, “Hall clear and Kirk and Brannon complaining of being sick. Observed vomit on Kirk and evidence of runs on Brannon. Will request medical.” He then picked up the telephone and dialed the extension for the Medical Unit.

“We got two from M building. Henry Kirk says he has been throwing up blood and it looks that way. Booger Brannon has the runs. They both look sick,” he stated, detailing his observations. “Yes ma’am, we will bring them right up,” he replied. Once he had hung up the telephone he went back to the Logbook and made a notation.