‘Anti-social, Sociopathic Behavior’
Don’t be mistaken: Prison is prison.
Yes, Damian has spent most of his 15 years at Limon Correctional Facility in Unit 6, the so-called Incentive Unit. It’s a unit that affords more freedom. Men in Unit 6 have private cells and, generally, move about the prison more freely. A spot in Unit 6 requires, among other things, two years without Class 1 convictions. Such convictions include assaulting another inmate.
But this is still Limon, a maximum-security prison. And it sits in Middle-of-Nowhere, Colorado — on a flat patch of land 100 miles southeast of Denver.
So, for men in Unit 6, there’s always a reminder of exactly where they are.
“Sometimes a guy will come here not a criminal and this place will turn you into a criminal, if you let it. It’ll make you look over your shoulder,” Damian explained. “All that anti-social, sociopathic behavior — if you didn’t have it before, you can get it here.”
There are gangs and retaliations and threats and stealing and fights — all the characteristics most of us consider quintessential prison behavior.
Damian simply refers to it as “prisony.”
When he first arrived, he spent a lot of time with his uncle — his mother’s brother — who also was doing time at Limon. Toby Zapata has served 35 years for multiple counts of rape. The 55-year-old is eligible for parole in 2035. Toby is the one who introduced to Damian the concept of “how to do time.”
“Basically, I was told when I got here, ‘Grow eyes on the back of your head, mind your own business, fuck the cops, don’t look in anybody’s cell. You didn’t see anything, you don’t know anything. If somebody calls you a ‘bitch,’ you have to fight them right away.’”
The Damian of today doesn’t agree with that approach.
“I think that’s super-wrong thinking,” he said. “I think the way I do my time now is I don’t want to teach anybody how to do time. I want to teach people how to live in society because I want to live in society.”
Damian added: “I want you to hate this place and what you did and who you were.”
About the Author
Andréa Maria Cecil is a career editor and writer whose experience includes six years as Assistant Managing Editor and Head Writer at CrossFit Inc. headquarters. She spent the first 12 years of her professional life as a journalist — starting with The Associated Press in Detroit and Baltimore — before transitioning to content marketing with an emphasis on authentic storytelling. She is the editor of “Speal: A David and Goliath Story” by Chris Spealler that sold 10,000 copies worldwide.
