Along with my commissary order this week, I received a slip of paper that read, “As directed by DPO (Division of Prison Operations), the following items will NO LONGER BE SOLD by UCI Commissary,” followed by a list of powders like dry milk, creamer and Slim Fast.

The rumor is this is a reaction to inmates playing with the flammable properties of these items. A couple of weeks ago we lost the ability to buy art supplies because someone was stabbed with a paint brush.

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The solution to most issues in prison is to take something away. That mentality makes sense as we (prisoners) are here because it was decided our freedom needed to be taken away.

It’s amazing how many privileges, opportunities and freedoms prisoners have lost in the relatively short time since I’ve been here. I imagine this place must have been like a resort when it opened considering the rate of privilege loss that continues to take place.

It seems to me some smart people with decent intentions put their ideas and best practices together to try and help rehabilitate and properly accommodate prisoners in a way they think will most benefit society.

After that, the prison was left in the hands of others. So when issues arise, the only decision-making is reactionary. There doesn’t seem to be thought put into what would be a better way to do things.

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If there is an incident or fight anywhere in Gunnison, then the entire facility is placed on lockdown. This happens even if an incident is as simple as a prisoner saying something lippy to an officer and it happens in a different building half a mile away. Programming, education and anything else is interrupted. It makes no sense.

In the month of March, we only had about five days in which we weren’t locked down at some point in the day. The situations are usually resolved within an hour, but just last week the lock down lasted for a day and a half.

In the last couple months we’ve had some significant changes. We now get locked down every day from 5:30-6 p.m. for shift change. The rumor is this was done because where there was an incident or fight around the time of shift change, then both shifts would be on and this created too much overtime. Because of this, we’ve lost our evening yards.

On top of that, basketball is now only available on even days because one inmate from a housing unit complained that he was unable to play tennis because there are always basketball players using the dual purpose court. This may sound like a fair solution, except this decision was made a month ago, and I’ve yet to see anyone play tennis.

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With the new building sharing the yard, the lockdowns taking away night yard and this latest rule, I literally have had my chance to catch a pick-up game city to one-fourth of what it was.

My whole point is not to complain that I will only be able to play basketball once in a blue moon but to highlight the reactionary decision making that plagues the system.

There was one instance since I’ve been here in which there was a major improvement to the status quo, and it has come recently. There has been a positive change in our menu: We are getting real meat with some of our meals!

There’s a theory this pleasant surprise has a direct correlation to the shutting down of the horse program here in Gunnison. I doubt it, but I wouldn’t care because the burgers we’re getting two times a month are pretty darn good.

I’m currently trying to move to the new building because, if my theory holds true, then it’s the best place to be because there hasn’t been time for inmates and reactionary decisions to ruin things yet. Currently they have weights and access to a mini yard with a basketball hoop — Sold!

Brian Wood, formerly of Layton, is an inmate at the Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison. He pleaded guilty to nine felony charges for offenses from 2011 to 2014, including counts of burglary, drug possession and prescription fraud. He could spend up to 35 years in prison, depending on parole hearings.