The infamous “voice” speaks from on high! As if spoken through heaven’s golden microphone, but heard through the intercom squawk-box’s speaker,” visitation for James Hannaford now. Go to the visitation room!” Up you go from your hallway chair a short distance to the right, a quick zig-zag, and you have entered the visitation room.
The room is really a dead end corridor with 5 booths and 5 chairs. These compartments are divided by sheet metal baffles about head-high, if you’re standing. There is a sheet metal countertop about a foot in depth to lay things on or rest your arms. You face a solid, thick pane glass and another booth on the opposite side just like yours. There is a phone handset mounted to one of the baffles which you will use to communicate……and you wait for your particular inmate: in this case, the “D” dorm, cell #10 resident.
Meanwhile, back in the “D” dorm a different heavenly voice make a squawk-box proclamation, “James Hannaford, put your orange on and go to visitation!”(In other words, I can’t go down in my long johns, which is the normal dorm apparel.) With orange jail suit on, I leave the dorm, once the guard electronically unlocks the door. I, then, have two more corridor doors that guards viewing me on camera must release, before I reach the visitation room. I search one of the 5 booths for my visitor.
I always warn my visitors in advance to be emotionally prepared to see me in an orange jail suit when I walk in. I don’t need any emotional break downs; this is not helpful to me. I need upbeat, positive, ”lemonade out of lemons “ visit. All of my visits have been that way! Especially due to a couple of faithful friends, I have had a visitation every week since my incarceration. I am truly blessed.
The most heart-wrenching time is when I walk into the booth. I always place my hand on the glass (like a high five) and visitors respond likewise, but it is that instant moment when both parties realize that there is no human touch. This is heart wrenching.
Humans need physical touch. I speculate that many of the volatile personalities I experience in jail are partly because they haven’t experienced enough human, tender touch. Thereby, animal instincts become dominant because humanity is lacking.(future blog on jailhouse personalities)
Inmates are allowed 1 hour visitation per week on either Sat. or Sun. from 9a.m.-12noon and 1p.m.-3p.m. The visitation must be used in one hour continuous block of time. Multiple visitors are allowed, but they must share the time as only 1 visitor at a time allowed.
I would love to have any of you visit, but it can’t be spontaneous or a “surprise visit”. There are others already making a trip to Ashland City (about a 45 min. drive from Nashville.) to visit, please, I deeply want to visit with you. A variety and diversity of visitations are great for me. I understand it is a great sacrifice, I would be most appreciative to share conversation, joy, and love with you. Please write me and schedule as you are led to do! Let’s have some laughs!
Coming soon to a blog near you…….exciting… invigorating … informative…maybe even inspirational!
Stay tuned! Don’t change that dial…..or that email address!
Keep those cards and letters pourin’ in!
Jim Hannaford
200 Court Sq.
Ashland City, TN 37015
