If You Looked Like Me - Kera

Okay, so I said I'd write to you about what prison was like. Hopefully text can do my experience justice. A couple funny things happened that I hope I remember to tell you. So, the location was Lebanon Prison. It houses felons (therefore sex offenders, murderers....those kind of criminals) It is high security meaning these people are NOT getting out. haha. There were two rows of barbed wire and it was intense!!! haha. It was on the ground and up top. First I should mention that my prof required us to dress up and look respectable, meaning no jeans. So I had to borrow black pants (I for some reason don't have any) and I wore heels. Of course some of my classmates still wore jeans (Grr!) haha They gave us our visitor badges and we went through the metal detector. Once through the one male guard says, "Pull your shirt up hun." I looked at him bewildered like "oh my am I hanging out?" He says (probably in response to my look), "You're fine, they'll just be screaming at you. And they'll like your heels too...*long pause* but if you looked like me, they'd still like you too." BAHA! The first gate opened and only 8 people are allowed in there at once. It shuts and then photo id must be shown and they ask you to show the invisible stamp on your hand (it glows). The next gate opens and you walk into a long corridor full of administration offices. The next 8 of us went through and so on so forth until we were in the hallway together. The tour lady talks about how old it is and what level prisoners they hold and so on so forth. She kept saying, "We have sex offenders" and would make a point to look at me and the girl standing next to me (okay, my prof required it, don't look at me like that! haha) We start walking and somehow the girl and I ended up in the lead and we're like "we really shouldn't be in the lead...." but all the guys were hanging back behind us (baha!). We get to the next gate that leads to where actual prisoners will be walking. There were already some loitering. Now mind you, they aren't chained as they walk around. They have rules such as they have to walk on this side of the hallway and whatnot, but they are allowed to walk without chains and handcuffs. They are required by law to have MP3 players (it keeps their minds occupied - that is one of their biggest agendas is to keep them from thinking so they won't plan an escape or death). So there was a little kiosk where they could buy music. There was a snack line with hygiene products too where they can buy things they need. They do get $9 a week to buy those things which can be reduced if they act up. You know how we get tickets for traffic violations, they get the same write ups if they break rules/cause trouble. There is a Tag Shop where the prisoners (only the best behaved ones) may work. There are only two places in the US that make license plates and Lebanon is one of those. The BMV pays for the inmate's stay so that way taxpayers won't have to. Of course the inmates don't see any of that money. It's really a bargain in the sense that the prison gets the opportunity to make them and keep prisoners occupied and BMV pays them so they don't have to spend money on inmates stay. Kinda neat. They gave us a free license plate at the end that says, "VISIT" haha. Then we went to a block which is a long hallway with 20 cells on the first tier and then two more levels with 20 cells. Prisoners are held two to a cell except for a few who have gained the privilege of their own rooms. Mostly those guys are ones who train dogs to help children with autism. They are basically the cream of the crop inmates who've been good. haha. This specific block was the best behaved block so they could shower when they pleased, microwave food, sit out in the common hallway and visit each other's cells. They opened up two cells for us to look in. Well, of course it is a prison so there's going to be some "scandalous posters/pictures" on the wall. I am not stupid, I know this. haha. (that's my disclaimer). Well she said, "Go ahead, take a look." No one was budging so this guy Oliver and I went in and I was looking around on the ground and I saw how cramped the toilet is and the sink is over top of it so you have to crouch on the toilet beneath the sink. THey had a TV (occupy your mind haha). The room was honestly the same size as my half bath at home if you guys remember what it looks like. They said the most fights they have break out between roommates...no wonder...haha. Roomates in fairly large college dorms fight, so imagine being forced in a room with a fellow inmate haha. So I was scanning the room and it had lots of random papers and whatnot and then I saw a spice rack so I was like hmm interesting, they have spices. Then I turned and right beside me is a GIANNNNT photo of a COMPLETELY nude woman. I go "Whoooa okayyyyy." and turn on my heel and walk out and just as I did, Oliver behind me goes "ooohhhayyy" and runs out on my tail haha. Of course I turn BRIGHT red and the whole class giggles after I say, "Just don't look at the walls." Even my prof was holding back a chuckle. The woman goes, "Oh I'm so sorry." "Oh it's okay." She can't apologize for a prisoner's pornography. haha. Well then we went to their chapel and talked to a couple inmates. That was mostly the prison. It was a neat experience. The inmates were honestly extremely respectable. The tour lady said that there's 2500+ inmates in a prison that has been accommodated from only being able to hold 1200. They only have about 58 staff members every shift. The only reason she says they can run it is because the prisoners respect the staff and most of them don't want to cause trouble. They want to get out as much as the staff doesn't want them to stay. Very interesting. haha. If you have any questions just ask :) On the way back in the van with a bunch of guys and my friend Rachel, I was saying how it bothers me they don't make women's pants with bigger butt pockets. Oliver says, "You know why they do that...?" "Because they think women don't need them...." "No, because men look at their butts." haha Wow....I was enlightened. The thought never crossed my mind. haha. Then my friend Rachel out of the blue says to my friend Eric, "I really like your eyes." Eric (the smart butt that he is....though he was taken off guard with her statement....[he'll put on this "cool" front, not in a bad way, just really chill about everything, so to see him taken off guard for a split second was funny] ) "Oh uh thanks...I massage them twice a day." Oliver says, "(pretending he were Eric while rubbing eyes) Stay awake....stay awake..."  Me: "Well, if that's Eric, it is more than twice a day." It was really funny especially since, who says they massage their eyes. haha. Funny stuff. Alrighty, this is long enough. I'll bid you adieu. <3