I have to admit, my lawyer was very apologetic and accompanied me while I was transported from the jail to the state penitentiary. I'm not sure how he was able to do it, but he went as far as the main entry gate, where I climbed out of the van and was walked though a gate.
My lawyer talked for nearly the entire ride, either apologizing or laying out his strategy for an appeal. He kept saying, "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this. It's an open and shut appeal."
Well we had gone from an open and shut case to three to five years in the state pen, with an open and shut appeal. I wasn't real confident about anything, but what else could I do, I sure couldn't afford a real attorney. Besides I had to begin concentrating on survival.
Once inside I turned over my clothes and belongings, endured a humiliating strip search, was led through a cold shower and then allowed to get dressed in the attractive prison garb. Everything was gray, a gray tee shirt, with a gray sweatshirt and yes, gray sweatpants. The socks were even gray, and all the clothes were nicely stamped Property of Onion Creek Penitentiary.
Two guards giggled a bit when they heard which cell I was heading to, but they quickly got very serious as they took me through the door into the housing unit. They led me to a cell and hollered out, "Hey Rocco, we got a new one for you."
They opened the door and nodded their heads. I stepped into the cell and looked at my cellmate, Rocco. He was sitting on the lower bunk but, even sitting, he was as tall as I am. He was wearing only his sweatpants.