Summary

Chapter 6 takes place in the Tompkins County Jail in December 2010. Blakinger describes the sounds of jail in minute detail because listening carefully is how inmates tell time in a world where watches are banned. Blakinger also describes how she passes the interminable hours: reading, doing crossword puzzles, and running slowly back and forth across her small cell. Not all inmates are able to stay off the radar of the guards, unfortunately. Blakinger focuses on one inmate, Brandy, who antagonizes the guards at every turn and ends up spending much of her time in solitary confinement.

Blakinger is surprisingly pleased by the lawyer to which she has been assigned. He seems like a "caricature" (64) of an old-school attorney, but he treats her like any regular person, and for this she is grateful. Unfortunately, Blakinger had already confessed to possession of a large amount of...