Time in the Slammer (Take Two)

On Thursday of last week I had my second opportunity in one week to visit a correctional institution. This time, however, I went to the big house... The Idaho State Correctional Institution.

Again, I was amazed at the amount of access I was granted and much like my tour to the Canyon County Jail, this trip provided a fair share of discomfort around the collection of criminal offenders.

I spent about three hours touring the grounds and was able to see every corner of the 65 acre medium custody facility. Pretty cool.

Check out the photos and the short slideshow below...









SLIDESHOW

Time in the Slammer

This past week I had the opportunity to visit the Canyon County Jail. I had never been inside a prison or a jail so when I stepped foot into this facility there were a number of things that shocked, surprised and scared me.

After meeting up with a Sheriff Deputy from Canyon County I was given a brief set of lackadaisical warnings about the dangers that lie behind the closed doors, yada yada yada. I thought for sure there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about. What the officer said next changed my mindset. He said, "you're really in no danger, but you NEED walk within reach of me at all times." No big deal, right? Gulp.

So they then opened the door to "G Block" which is one of two general population units which held around 20-30 of what they called "minor offenders". These were guys who were serving time for alcohol, drug, assault and gang related criminal offenses. Almost as soon as the door opened and I made my entrance, the attention of all these individuals was focused on me and my escort. Not the kind of attention I care to have.

I continued the tour and got a chance to see the major offenders (murderers, rapists, etc...) and although I tried hard not to show it, I was pretty damn uncomfortable. Needless to say, I opted not to take pictures of these guys.

After spending about 45 minutes in the jail I had had about enough and decided it was time to break out. So as I made my way through the myriad of narrow windowless hallways with steel blast-proof doors I couldn't help but reflect on what I had just seen. These were people, many of whom had made a life out of breaking the law, and were sentenced to spend a specific amount of their future in a dark, damp and depressing box with no windows, no fresh air and absolutely no hope.

If I took one thing away from this experience it would be that I am not criminal material (for starters I don't have any tattoos, which seems to be a mandatory accessory). I can't imagine spending even one night in a place like this.

Year In Review

2008 is now in the books and as I look forward to 2009 I want to first reflect on the past years activities.

In this year I've done a lot. I lived in three different locations throughout Boise. I logged almost 35,000 miles on my car. I went back to the Midwest for the first time in almost two years to see a great friend get married. I grew a mustache. I rediscovered a passion for running. I adopted a dog. I made new friends and rekindled relationships with old ones. I laughed (a lot of times at myself). I napped early and often. And of course, I took a lot of pictures...


I can only hope for bigger and better things going into 2009. Bigger and better in all things except the amount of miles traveled in my car. That's not something I care to aspire to.

Holiday Happenings

Welcome back! It seems as though the posts have begun to slow to a sluggish pace but I assure you that it is not for any lack of activity. For the past couple of weeks my schedule has been flipped upside down allowing me time to celebrate the holidays with my friends and family.


Quick recap... I worked over the Christmas weekend, which enabled me to take time off this week to head down to Utah for some skiing with the fam. My sister and her husband live in Logan, Utah and after meeting up with them and a plethora of grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews we made our way to Salt Lake City for two days of skiing (and shopping) in the area. The weather was wonderful and the skiing was fantastic.






After two really nice days of skiing I set my course back north to Boise to join some friends in celebrating the new year. That was also a great time, however, there were no pictures to document the occasion. Bummer.



Now it's back to the grind. In a way I am relieved to have a set schedule again but I can't help but feel a little wistful when thinking about the beautiful snow and scenery of Utah. Another trip will surely be in order this year.