The Importance of Popsicles

In a hot jail. [Link]

In the short run, the superintendent has come up with a way to manage the seemingly unmanageable — it’s the gesture of Popsicles. Yes, Popsicles.

“I’m worried that people are going to think I’m either naive or being ridiculous, talking about the importance of Popsicles,” I told Brazis.

“Well, people think that I was an ultimate liberal,” Brazis said, “but we came up with this idea a number of years ago. We had a staff meeting and it was unbearably hot up here, and besides fans we were thinking, ‘What could we ever do to make sure that the population know that we know how hot it was up there? And what could help?’

“These Popsicles are three cents a piece. We hand them out after lunch and after dinner, and on the really hot days — a couple weeks ago when temperatures got to be 100 — we handed them out again at night at 10 p.m.”

The gesture hasn’t gone unnoticed by inmates, like Robert.

“It’s like over 90 (degrees) in the day, over 90 at night,” Robert said. “Animals at least get to cool off at nighttime.”

“You appreciate the Popsicle?” I asked him.

“Of course I do,” Robert said. “I have mine right here. It’s not like this is Camp Winnemuca, you know. We’re still behind bars.”

“It makes it easier,” I said.

“It’s a nice gesture,” Robert replied.