Women Behind Bars Tuesdays at 10p|9c

Denise Holsinger


My name is Denise Holsinger and I am serving a multiple life sentence in prison. I thought I would take this time to describe what a day is like for me here. Our first standing count is at 5:45 a.m. I stand up beside my bunk long enough to be counted, then I collapse for about another 45 minutes. I start my day at 6:30 a.m. when I get up to take my dog, yes, my dog, out to use the bathroom. I have a dog because I am a member of the "Save Our Shelters- Pen Pals" program. We rescue dogs from shelters; train and rehabilitate them. Then they are adopted by people. If you want more info about the program go to SOS.penpals.com. I share the responsibilities of the dog with my roommate. The dog is her full time job. I work at the prison library full time. I work from 7:45 a.m. till 10:45 a.m. I go back to my unit for count at 11 a.m. then go to lunch. I return to work at 12:15 p.m. until 3:15 p.m. I really enjoy my job. I spend most of my day cataloging and processing new books. We have the largest DOC library in Virginia. I also work on special projects like weeding the shelves of old books. I stay very busy. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights I attend a Braille transcription class. We are learning to take the written word and transcribe it to Braille. Once we are certified I will be Brailling textbooks for children. I am really looking forward to doing this. Once I start doing that it will be my full time job. I will miss the library, but I really want to give back. I will be starting college very soon. Myself and 25 other women here were awarded a full scholarship to obtain our Associates Degree in General Studies through a local college that comes here to teach classes. This is a dream come true for me. I was a teenage runaway so I didn’t even get my GED until I got to jail. So, I never thought I’d have the opportunity. Back to my day…after work on Mondays I go to dinner at about 3:30 p.m. Way too early. Then it’s time for dog group. There are 10 dog handlers, 5 dogs and 1 facilitator. We meet once a week to talk about what’s going on with us, and we are learning to work as a team. After group, I spend time with my dog. Right now my roommate and I are working with dog number 13. His name is Petey. He looks like the Little Rascals dog. He is quite a character, very smart and sweet and loveable as can be. Our last count is at 9:30 p.m. By then I’m pretty much wiped out. So I usually read for as long as I can keep my eyes open. I try to stay busy because it makes my time easier for me. Some people just lie around or play cards all day. I can’t do that, I will end up horribly depressed if I have too much time to sit around and think. I try to use my time for things positive and to grow. I actually like the person I am becoming. I never knew how truly broken I was until I started to heal. I have one wish. I wish my children and family could get to know the person I am now, instead of the selfish person I was. I am truly not that person anymore. I am a strong, intelligent, loving and independent woman. Someone I am now proud of.