RESPECT. We went to Jail!

The Mentees of the 100 Academy were able to go to the Pulaski County Detention Facility this week. This week focused on Respect and we learned what happens when a person is brought in to the detention center. There are a lot of steps that a person must go through in the intake process. We saw where the officer(s) pull in and you are searched. Then, if you are clean, you are taken into processing where they get a lot of information from you then you get fingerprints taken. We say the holding cells that are not fun; they are just a simple room with a bench and toilet/sink combination. Just you and several men in a confined space.

Here are some interesting observations that were noted:

1. Alone in the holding cell there was an older gentleman. He was an older man that could have been my father or uncle. He was dressed in old man clothes, jeans, button down shirt and casual tennis shoes. He almost looked as if he didn’t belong there. I wondered why he was there.

2. Going to the shower is where the mentees saw the reality of being in jail. You have to remove your clothes in front of jail staff and other potential inmates. You take a shower and are given a jail uniform then sent for mug shots.

3. Being able to tour the facility, the mentees talked to Sheriffs about life inside the jail and how the jail works. It was amazing to see where the jail Pharmacist works and the other health care workers.

4. Did you know jail isn’t free? The mentees were shocked to know that inmates pay for their stay.

5. Going into the unit and seeing an extraction is a humbling experience. To see several sheriffs take control of a person is shocking.