Unfiltered Story #270885

I work in a prison as a unit assistant in one of the living units. I help the parole officers and other departments with multiple tasks. Basically an administrative assistant if that helps. Anyway, one of my duties is to help the parole officers by sharing documents written about the inmates with the inmates prior to upcoming parole hearings. To get these documents, we go to the program required, search the inmate’s name and literally everything about the inmate comes up, including his picture. The inmates probably don’t know that, but it shouldn’t matter.
I had to meet with an inmate to share these documents with him and our first interaction still makes me shake my head. I wrote a movement pass (that’s how inmates get permission to move about) for him to come see me first thing in the morning after formal count. He knocks on the door and he shows me his pass, so I tell him to come in and have a seat in an empty office. I go to my office and gather the documents, and as a habit, I tend to state the inmate’s name to them. I know it’s them but it’s just something I picked up. For security reasons we’ll call him “John Smith”.
I walk in and say, “John?”
He replies, “yea. How do you know my name?”
I paused and stared at him for a long few seconds.
“What do you mean?” I asked
“How do you know my name by sight?”
Again I pause and stare at him confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“How do you know who I am just by seeing me?” He went on.
I remember squinting my eyes as if searching for an “I’m dumb” sign on him that surely should be visible.
I replied slowly, “because I called you down here to see me and here you are.”
“Alright”. He seemed to accept this response.
I usually have a drawn out speech for them to let them know why they’re there but instead I simply told him that he had to read these documents prior to his hearing and to let me know when he was done.
I’m still baffled. He had a horrible attitude the whole time he was here and tried manipulating me multiple times. He’s not a young guy either, just a whole pile of stupid.