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.