Have you ever moved for one reason or another? You changed jobs. You got married. You went to college. You did not like the neighborhood. Any reason?

In your world, if you so choose to move, you get a real estate agent to help with the finding of a place that is suitable to your needs. Days, weeks, months later, you close the deal. You now have a new place – but now you have to physically move you property. Sure, you have two weeks to get everything out of your old place, and you have plenty of time to put things in. Maybe get a few friends to help. A truck or van to help you out. Heck, you have plenty of time to move your stuff.

But, your CellPals do not have that luxury. If they want to move, they too may have to barter for it with a clerk for the cell they want. Or, maybe they are not as lucky and are simply told, “You are moving.” Either way, generally your CellPal will not have much time to move all of their worldly possessions, and for some guys, it is a lot. I know for myself, on my last cell move, I had a television, typewriter, fan, footlocker, and two bags of laundry, one box of legal work, one bag of cosmetics, two pairs of shoes, two pairs of boots, and my linen – but then again, I also was on the same yard for 7 years. It is not uncommon for your CellPal to only be given ten minutes notice to pack it all up, be out of the old cell in less than an hour, and into the new cell before the next count. Only on those occasions where your CellPal knows a few days in advance can your CellPal at least prepare for the move.

Then your CellPal gets to his/her new cell. Nothing has really changed as far as the size, but he/she has to maneuver to put their things away and hope their new cell partner does not get in the way. Remember, it is his/her cell, so he/she has to respect how he/she likes it to look. Can you put up pictures? Can you put up a clothesline? Do you have to take your shoes off when you enter? Can you use the desk, or must you use the toilet to get to your bunk? Where do your shoes, boxes, and footlockers, etc. go? It is not your pad; it is a shared pad.

For your CellPal, the reasons to move can really vary: Cellmate is leaving (paroling, transferring, etc.); irreconcilable differences; job change; safety; point level changes; custody type changes; custody level changes; friend or relative shows up; medical reasons; disciplinary; problems with staff; staff/inmates do not like you; institutional needs; and probably many others. These are not listed in any order, but the most common is “institutional needs”.

So you see, your CellPal does not have the luxury of moving as easy as you may have. He/She also must be quick and organized in their move if they do not want to cause any problems.