This week we’re hearing from Antonio Prescott and inmate at Mackenzie Correctional Farm outside Wasilla. Antonio manages the chicken house, which supplies eggs for Alaska’s correctional system.
PRESCOTT: I had a lot of shame. I had a son that passed away, so my life was really messed up at that point. So, I was drinking a lot of alcohol and just getting in a lot of trouble so I definitely don’t want to get out and go back into that direction. So I’m thankful for the opportunity of coming out here and learning all these things, so now I really can get out and rebuild my life.
This actually shows you, gives you, more skills – prepares you to get out on the street. It’s consistency and everyday work. Other prisons don’t show you that, it’s more like you’re mostly on lock-down, go outside a couple hours a day. It’s totally not like that. It’s, as soon as you wake up after the first count, 6 a.m., it’s time to go to work.
I’ve been back doin’ the chickens for about 8 months. Every morning I come in here, about 7:00. I’ll feed. I’ll water. I’ll do a health check. In the morning, I collect eggs, and at about 4:30, 5:00, I’ll collect more eggs. This morning I got 95 and out back they did 13, and then I should end up with around 140,150.
I was never like that. I was more, always doing something else. I’d get bored real easy. So this type of environment actually is grounding me. So, I like, you know, doing this type of thing. I’m more of a worker type. I’m more of a stay on the back side.
I just wanna get out, get a job, take everything one step at a time. I wanna see my son and my daughter, so I just want to take everything slow and rebuild my life and make sure I don’t come back to prison and lead down the path that I was on before I came to jail.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.
