Chapter 42

There were three main kinds of people in prison. The first were gang members. They made up the largest share of the prison population, and the most “unbreakable” part of it as well. In any era, under any government, people like them would always remain the majority behind bars.

The second kind belonged to more fashionable crimes, most of them tied to swindling and fraud. These people were not gang members. They were here not because of what they had done, but because they had not been cautious enough, not been cunning enough, and had been caught by policemen or Agents.

The third kind could almost be said not to exist at Sabine City Regional Prison at all. These people had committed no crime whatsoever, and could leave prison whenever they wished.

For them, being in prison was merely a method, though sometimes they themselves had been subjected to someone else’s method. Most of these people served time in the more famous prisons of the Federation. Yet even while sitting behind bars, they could still influence the Federation’s politics, economy, culture, even its military.

As for everyone else, they came in for different reasons, though not in such great numbers. People like Young Michael, with no gang background, were often absorbed by gangs once inside. Many gangs even regarded prisons as one of their primary sources of fresh blood.

No one here would be discriminated against too openly. Of course, hierarchy still existed. If prison could eliminate hierarchy, then ... would it not already have succeeded?

Where there were people, there were classes. Where there were classes, there was society. Because of his age, Young Michael had not been treated too harshly. In a place that prized personal toughness, bullying a half-grown boy earned contempt, not admiration.

But if Young Michael’s father was one of those men with a “license,” then things became different.

Because most of the people here had been brought in by men with those same licenses.

That strange atmosphere lasted until lunch. At Sabine City Regional Prison, lunch was followed by a midday rest, then free activity time, then dinner and an hour and a half of recreation. They were even allowed to watch television for a while.

After that came shower time, evening rest, and finally lights out. Every day, everyone’s schedule was extremely full, fuller, at least, than the days they had spent outside drinking themselves into a stupor.

Carrying his rubber tray, Young Michael went to the serving line. In the past few days, the inmate handing out food had always given him a little more meat and vegetables than the others. But today, that man merely scraped a spoonful of watery mush from the edge of the serving pan and dumped it onto Young Michael’s tray.