CROWLEY FACTS
CCCF is a medium level facility located in Olney Springs, Colorado – which is in the southeastern region of Colorado (east of Pueblo, west of La Junta). It is a privately owned prison, like CMRC, under contract by CoreCivic – whereas CMRC is under contract by GEO. The geographical terrain itself is a desert, with beautiful sunrises and sunsets, roughly six minutes away from The Arkansas River. The most interesting thing about the area is the annual tarantula migration, which I unfortunately did not witness.
THE CCCF EXPERIENCE
Crowley was by far the worst prison I have had the misfortune of inhabiting. The funny thing is, in comparison to the majority of the prison population, I’m somewhat alone in this assessment. The reason being, I believe, is because from the start of my sentence I was determined to change into a “better person”. This is not the case for the average prisoner.
That being said, most people like Crowley because they had a great deal of fun while they were there. What do I mean by fun? Fun in prison encompasses activities that distract a prisoner from remembering that they are, indeed, incarcerated. These distractions can be ultimately positive or negative. Examples include: engaging in illegal activities, such as; drug or alcohol usage, which were either brought in from the streets or made in prison (like hooch for example); intercourse, with female guards or other same-sex prisoners (known as a Pheezy); getting tattoos’, hence the name “Crowley Ink”; or gambling, to name a few…
I’ll be honest, I did partake in Hooch while I was there. Allowing myself to do this, by justifying my feelings about my circumstances, was a poor decision of which I did regret. I drank half a tumbler of this batch that tasted like soap. I caught a buzz and hated it because all I could think of was the streets and how alcohol was the tool I consistently used to destroy my life. This was the only time I partook, during the entirety of my prison term – with the exception of the county jail.
Nevertheless, Crowley was the Wild-West… It was gang infested, flooded with drugs, directed by corrupt guards, and completely void of warmth. Most prisoners would agree that CMRC was worst than Crowley, however, I would disagree. CMRC, at least, had a large variety of volunteers coming in to facilitate religious services. Crowley had one guy, who was a Seventh Day Adventist. Don’t get me wrong, that guy (unfortunately, I forgot his name) was awesome and I really appreciated him.
PRE/POST COVID
The point I’m trying to make is that Crowley had nothing going on but negative distractions. Pre-COVID, Crowley did provided programs like: Seven Habits for Highly Successful People, Foundations for Construction and the like. But the simple fact is, it was a hell-hole. If you were truly attempting to change negative behaviors, life at Crowley made this virtually impossible.
Post-COVID, Crowley was even more of a nightmare because we were confined to our cells with only twenty minutes out, every three days. That’s worse than a maximum custody facility. I understand that prison is meant to be prison and that, under the circumstances (with the COVID Epidemic), The Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) was doing what it could to keep us and the guards safe. Regardless, the blatant disregard for our basic human rights was borderline excessive – to put it politely.
If you enjoy doing drugs – In a sterile concrete box, along with: gang fights, gambling, getting prison tattoos, and laying around with zero responsibilities, then you’re in luck, Crowley is the place for you…
GOD USED CROWLEY
But I digress, if it wasn’t for my placement at Crowley, as far as I know, I wouldn’t have had such a spectacular experience getting to know Jesus Christ. Things changed for me, spiritually, at Crowley. In the midst of all the hellish activities, God’s presence lingered. I witnessed The Holy Spirit there, like never before. With my own two eyes, I watched hardened, heroine addicted, gang members submit to the will of God.
The beautiful thing about how God works is in His ability to know exactly where to lead you, in order to get your complete undivided attention.
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote,
“Losses and Adversities are frequently the means which The Great Shepard uses to fetch home His wandering sheep. Like fierce dogs, they worry the wanderers back to the fold. There is no making lions tame if they are too well fed, they must be brought down from their great strength, and their stomachs must be lowered, and then they will submit to The Tamer’s Hand.”
This passage resonates with me, because I feel as though it closely resembles my life experiences. Every time I thought I had life figured out and I thought I was in control: the rug was pulled from under me. By no means do I consider myself a lion, I’m not a tough guy. However, I’ve always identified as someone who doesn’t need help. And because of that perspective, when I actually needed legitimate help, I took matters into my own hands and robbed a bank – instead of voicing my needs.
God, however, led me to Crowley. He put me in a place where I was faced with two choices ultimately: get mixed up in trouble and dig myself deeper into a pit or try something new. Crowley was the first place I sat down and gave God my undivided attention. I opened my Bible at an empty table in the day hall, and prayed,
“God – there is a lot in this Bible I don’t understand or agree with, but I’ve decided that I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt, open my eyes and show me what you want me to see.”
THE CONCLUSION
From that prayer on and that moment on, I experience an eye-opening event. Before, reading the Bible was like reading “The Iliad and the Odyssey“, while I was in grade school. It was almost incomprehensible. Now, suddenly, the words on the pages have life to me and seem to jump, vividly, into my mind.
The year and one month I spent at Crowley became etched in the memories of my mind, because of this experience. Crowley was just a vessel God used to get the attention of many people, not just me. And with that, I suppose, all in all, it served its purpose, in the end.
Jesus said,
“To the one who wants to come with me must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For the one who finds his life will loses it but the one who loses his life for my sake will find it. For what does a man benefit if he gains the whole world yet loses his soul.”
Luke 9:23-25