I admit to being slightly obsessed with this story - Joyce Mitchell and the prison escape

In a fit of bookshelf cleaning, I recently listed some of my quality books to sell on Amazon.  In my opinion, this has proven to be a very easy way to relieve myself of some extra books, without the guilt of throwing them away, since our local charities and libraries are overrun with donated books.  Much to my surprise, (and discomfort) one of the people who purchased a sewing book I was offering is an inmate with a federal prison shipping address.  Frankly, this made me uneasy.

Click here for the full story. 

Okay, I'm treading lightly here.

So you don't dismiss me entirely for saying this, I'll start with this quote from CBS News, and you'll can see that I PROMISE to be going somewhere with this... 

"Mitchell has a job with a yearly salary of $57,697, overseeing inmates who sew clothes and learn to repair sewing machines at the prison. Amid the criminal case, she was suspended without pay."

I am thankful for this information. I was afraid to admit this aloud, since it really shows that I'm focusing on the wrong aspect of this HUGE news story... but... I couldn't help but obsessively wonder...

"Why do they need a prison TAILOR?"

When I finally said it (before reading the article referenced above), I was happy to hear my husband giggle at the idea, too, because, after all, isn't a general fit standard good enough for a prison uniform?

But that's not what her job is about.  She is training inmates, who hope to legitimately become ex-cons, to qualify for a job performing a very valuable skill.  Good grief, have you ever tried to get a sewing machine repaired?  High quality choices are few, and closely guarded, although I have shared my own sources on this blog. 

So this story is a very sad one, in so many ways, for all of the people involved. It remains a dangerous situation at this point, and it is very serious business. I don't dismiss any of it, but I do ask you to consider the following points:

• Sewing tools are truly multi-purpose ones. Not only can you rip seams, holes, chip and chisel away at things... you can also... well, nevermind.
• Apparently prison tailor/instructor is a fully legit job, with a respectable pay, assuming, of course, that you don't overstep your responsibilities.
• My theory?  If I were asked to theorize on where they might be hiding... I'd guess the criminals have escaped to a native American reservation in Old Forge, NY.  But that's just what I think...