Trump has made it clear that he’s not afraid of home confinement or going to jail. As usuual he is posturing as the Mr. Macho depicted in his so-called trading cards. He is challenging Judge Merchan to sentence him to more than a slap on the wrist. To use a word he uses to describe the judge, he is daring the Devil to do his worst.

I was going to add a few Mad Magazine covers to the blog today, but there are so many it was hard to chose the best one, so click here and select the ones you want to see.

Perhaps because Trump fancies himself to have the physique of Superman I especially like these:

Like making a deal with the Devil in fiction, one who has that opportunity to get their heart’s desire they should be advised to be very, very careful what they wish for. It never turns out well.

I’ve never been incarcerated but I have been in jails and prisons many times in my capacity as a mental health consultant and reserve police officer. I knew I would get out. I do know the feeling of having electonic doors click shut behind me and knowing that only when a correction office opens them will I be free. As a therapist I’ve had corrections officers take their time pretending to ignore me while I waited in a the small enclosed area called a sally port (an entryway controlled by two doors or gates, of which each must be closed before the other can open.) Even that was not a good feeling.

This contrasted with working as a reserve police officer when we’d bring a prisioner into the jail and had to go out through a sally port and the door to the outside where our cruiser was parked in a sally port garage was opened immediately for us.

Trump will go through a sally port if he goes to prison and then be processed. That will be a humilating experience for him. Trump will go through some version of this (read full article, excerpt below).

1. All new arrivals receive a full-body X-Ray scan, a strip search, fingerprints, and photographs.
   • People routinely undergo a full-body x-ray scan (similar to those performed at airports) upon self-surrender or after US Marshalls or BOP transport. The purpose is to detect any contraband a person may have ingested, inserted, or otherwise hidden in their body.
   • People also undergo a thorough strip search, including a visual inspection of the mouth, hair, ears, and genitals. This may be a person’s first experience with the squat and cough. This process is designed to ensure there is no contraband in a person’s private areas. 
   • Next, new arrivals receive their “R&D clothes” (i.e., a white or brown t-shirt, socks, elastic-waist “bus” pants, and a pair of slip-on shoes). People wear their R&D clothes until they get a complete set of institutional clothing, usually from the Laundry Department.
   • New arrivals also undergo fingerprinting and photographing procedures to receive their prison ID – a plastic photo identification card with name and registration number, eye color, height, etc. The prison ID also has a bar code that some institutions use to scan when a person gets their meals, shops at the commissary, uses the copy machine, etc.
   • BOP expects everyone to have their ID cards with them at all times, often requiring that the ID card remain visible to staff.

Alfred E. Newman’s “what me worry” philosophy works for him, but then compared to Trump he epitomizes normality. My hunch is that his advice for Trump for would be the same as mine:

Addendum:

Trump could be sentenced to home confinement with an ankle braclet (see illustration here). This would be a far cry from being in jail but I can visualize him wandering around Mar-a-Lago talking word salad to himself as his denemtia worsens. I would hope the the ankle bracelet is adjusted so he must stay inside. He should limited to remaining in the living area (the actual home) and not allowed access to social media. All guests should to be approved by the court. He wouldn’t be allowed to have his usual parties. Of course golfing would not be permitted.

Read previous Stressline blogs here