Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Catching Chain
Well it finally happened. My husband caught chain this morning. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "catching chain" simply means he was transferred. My husband's cellmate's mother emailed me to let me know that he had caught chain at 3:00am this morning. What I don't know is whether he is on medical chain, for his neck, or whether he has been transferred to a trustee camp. If he has been transferred to a trustee camp, that means that I will have to wait another 90 days to receive a phone call from him. You see in order to be allowed the one 5 minute every 90 days call, an inmate needs to be on his unit of assignment for 90 days and case free and all that. Well this week would have been his second 90 days at his unit of assignment and he was due to call me in the next few days - a call I was so looking forward to but now, in all likelihood, I will have to wait another 3 months to get that 5 minute call. I don't know whether to be happy if it's medical chain because that at least means TDC hasn't forgotten about him or heartbroken that I may have to wait another 90 days before I can hear from him again. Ask any husband or wife of an inmate and they will tell you that all they really want to know is if their spouse is OK and all they really want to hear is I love you. For those of you lucky enough to have regular contact with your spouse or partner, please be thankful for every moment you have. Cherish the visits and phone calls even if the calls are only 15 minutes long. Tell your spouse you love them one more time and really and truly mean it. Let them see in your eyes and hear from your heart how much they mean to you because there are people, like me, who would give absolutely anything for that 15 minute call. I am sure there are some who would say 3 more months isn't so bad but, in all honesty, for me, it feels like a lifetime.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Made me really sad to read this.
ReplyDeleteTake good care.
Helen Gerhardt
PA Network Against Torture (we're working to end solitary confinement which sure is torture.)
My man's gotta do this any minute now. We are in Texas, with a two year old that can see him weekly now. Why would they move him to another state before Christmas? Because the system isn't made for anything but failure. Thanks be to God somehow some of these men see light, in the darkness. I know my man is a light for others like him and for me as well. This is the only way I can look at it. Spread love. It's all you really got for sure.
ReplyDeleteCatching chain is truly a stressful time for both your loved one and you. They never know when they are going. It's one of those "roll it up" you're moving out kind of things. The best way I found to deal with the uncertainty of catching chain is to constantly check the JPay site. It will tell you when he moves. You can see the unit change if he is gone. It usually takes about 2 days but sometimes chain can take longer than two days so you could very well know where he is before he is able to tell you. Unless you're husband's charges aren't from Texas that is the only reason they would transfer him to another state. Now, if he is in Texas, his original stop would have been at an intake unit. Gurney or something like that. He will only stay there for at most 6 months or so and then be moved to his regular unit somewhere in Texas. There really doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to where inmates go when they catch chain and having his family living close isn't even a consideration for TDCJ. It's tough. Believe me I know but you are a mother. You are a prison wife. Trust me!!! There are none stronger!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep strong. Keep your head up.
Kim
My son caught chain today.he only served til september.do will be Dr at 8.in intake unit or what will happen since he only has few months
ReplyDeleteI can only comment on what happens in Texas. If your son's outdate is September, he first goes to a medical unit for intake. He will spend some time there and when he catches chain that may be to his permanent unit until he is due to be released in September. It is possible, however, that he will be transferred to another unit before being released. There really is no rhyme or reason with transfers in TDCJ if that is where he is. Hopefully, whatever unit your son has caught chain to will be the only one he goes to until his released. Keep your head up and your heart strong!
ReplyDeleteMy husband caught chain about an hour ago. We're in TX. He is up for his first parole in December. I'm so confused. Where is he going? When will he be able to call? If he gets paroled does he come home right away. This is by far the hardest thing we've ever been through. Especially with the kids AND the holidays....my God :(
ReplyDeleteMy husband just caught chain tonight, I had no idea what that meant until looking it up, his first parole is in June 2019, his naxumum release us November 2020, we are in Tx, he was at Holliday Unit, I need to know more information, I am devastated, where are theu taking him and why????
ReplyDeleteMy son caught chain today.he only served til December.do will be Dr at 8.in intake unit or what will happen since he only has few months
ReplyDeleteSomeone may likely never see this, and my voice still unheard, but I'm going to through it out in hopes someone comes across my lost, confused, heartbroken words. My fiance caught chain three days ago from harris county, he is still not showing in tdc system, off the grid- just like that, no paper trail, no lasting reminder that he was there, that I am here. No one can or will tell ypu anything without a tdc number that I can't get in over 3 days, THREE DAYS! I have no idea where he is, what he's thinking, or if he needs anything I can provide to make this go smoother. I miss him. I miss the sound of my name rolling smoothly off his lips and his eyes as they gaze through me-straight past tomorrow and into another world beyond this moment we are frozen in. I miss the rise and fall of his chest as I drift to sleep, the way his heart beat matches mine after seconds ofcontact... I feel like it's going to be forever before I experience any of these things again. A forever that no one can fathom until you have tried to live normal day in and day out missing the person your soul is addicted to, addicted to just the mere sound, a vibration only my energy feels and his spectrum sees.... I'm lost. I'm defeated. I'm losing my will to see positive in this tdc fuckery nightmare of injustice. They may be behind tdc bars but the loved ones left behind to navigate blindly alone are also imprisoned in this ill put together system. Except we are silenced, unheard, and left to just wait...and wait...never knowing...like the benched player who never steps foot on the field but every day shows up as if it's world series, ready to go at every slowly passed moment. This is a moment in time you can't escape, forget, ignore... it just is for unknown amount of unknown time in this unknown purgatory of tdc hell. The system is more then broken...when ur breaking even people not housed in a facility run by hypocrites and politicians alike, that's when you know.... thats when you know as you sit staring at pictures and silence screaming to be broken by a phone call you won't get for an unknown amount of time.... welcome to the chosen life of a prison wife who's love battles the prison life silently, the strong who still gets up and knows all the motions to destract her nightly break down waiting and wandering...hoping time ticks, please God TIC, and let us make it to the other side of tdc purgatory fuckatory. There's no justice here, break them down in there, us out here, and put a fancy name on it that will be ignored like every red headed step child.
ReplyDeleteSorry for my rant. I'm angry. I'm sad. I'm lost. And I'm utterly alone miles from unknown miles of unknown wait times from my equally alone loved one. God he's loved. If thoughts could cross cell blocks.... man. I hate tdc and it's none system but kinda looks like a system purgatory. And it's official... we are echos of moments... one days someone can read my pain and defeat as I've read from years before this post. Good luck. And I hope ur patient with your heart and the heart behind bars, ull need it.
I'm so mad. If only I were stuck in a diff moment. But I'm stuck in tdcs time and is it good time, bad time, state jail time, are u punishing me by taking more time, or do I get credit, parole time, time to call? Time to fucking wait! Ugh. Whatever I'm done now. Sorry. My words are waisted I know... boy do I know.
He has to go threw intake before he will show up in system. My husband is there too I also went threw the same thing it takes one to two weeks to pop up in the system. Have patients and pray
ReplyDelete