Assignment: Is Perception Reality?
            
            
            
             A few years ago I moved to Arizona. I was to be the office manager of a Real Estate
            
             Appraisal firm. Unbeknown to me the Company owed back taxes to Internal Revenue Service.
            
             The IRS came in and seized all of the Companies bank accounts and assets. All of a sudden I had
            
             to scramble to find a new job. I did not immediately find work as an appraiser but took a job with
            
             the Arizona Department of Corrections.
            
            
             What I thought to be true and what the reality was; were two different things. I believed that
            
             the individuals incarcerated were being punished and were not able or allowed to do much of
            
             anything. Additionally, I believed that they basically sat in a jail cell and read books, drew
            
             pictures or wrote letters. I also believed that they were law abiding while in prison. In other
            
             words, I believed that they were limited in not being able to break the law. Additionally, I
            
             assumed they had virtually no contact with the outside world.
            
            
             I completed some training in self-defense, first aid, conflict resolution, Radio
            
             Communications, etc. I was then sent to Cell Block 6 AKA Death Row. This is where my
            
             perceptions began to give way to reality. I found that almost every inmate (as called by officers
            
             and staff) had a Television and that free cable was provided with many movie channels available.
            
             Most had stereos with many CD’s. They were required however, to wear headphones while
            
             listening to their music. I was surprised to find that the law mandated many privileges to the
            
             incarcerated individuals. Three hot meals a day were served the inmates. Also, family members
            
             could send them care packages at Christmas up to about 100 lbs., containing homemade food and
            
            
            
            
             clothing items. In addition, there is a prison store that the Incarcerated could order items from. A
            
             list of items ...