It truly felt as if these convicts were nothing more than just a regular guy that you were talking to. The fact that we were walking through the corridor with convicts felt like nothing more than a stroll in a very grim park. The feelings of fear finally set in the moment the guards yelled out "Escort" which means that all prisoners and visitors must turn and face the wall so they won't be able to see the prisoner being escorted. At that moment I knew this was real and as the tour began through the first ward, it became clear that this would be a lot more difficult to handle as time passed. We walked through two wards and we got nothing but rude remarks, hollering, barking, etc. As we continued walking it became quite uncomfortable for Emily T. and I to continue walking because we feared that these men might just throw something at us.
At one point we were shown where the prisoners shower and it truly made my skin crawl. It was a scary picture, it is nothing you could ever imagine and the feeling you get when you see those showers for yourself is impossible to explain. Eight men showered together for a mere 10 minutes. The showers filled up with water for about a foot high and it was explained that most men had Hepatitis C and it was easily contracted via the showers. This foot of water also carried any other disease these men had and could easily contract it to another, i.e. crabs, scabies, HIV etc. But disease wasn't the only thing these men feared in the shower. Being killed or stabbed was another possibility.
The tour ended with eating lunch with the "lifers." We were able to talk to them one on one and it truly opened up my eyes to know that these men were missing out on simple things i.e. eating an orange, having something other than a PB&J sandwich, or simply being able to have a decent shower. It was sad to think how much we take for granted. It truly made me reevaluate my life in every aspect. These convicts are still men, they still have souls, and at least the men we got to talk to seemed to be remorseful about what they had done. I truly feel that these men shouldn't be subjected to these kinds of living conditions. They truly don't deserve to be treated and caged in like animals with a daily fear of possibly losing their life.
This experience made me reevaluate my views on the justice system and that people aren't dealt the same cards. Some people are lucky and some not so lucky. It truly makes you see that this mentality that everyone can make it, isn't such a truthful one. So many social factors play such a major role in how criminals and convicts end up where they do. There is no one main reason why people end up in prison, it is one great big machine that consists of wealth, race, education, family, community, government etc. Although it was very emotional and quite overwhelming, it was a great experience.
-Deirdre Coyoy
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