For my criminal procedure class, I was required to do some community observations around Madison. One particular observation was very moving for me. I decided to share my observation report here with you. I hope that these words may change or enhance your perspective of an important population in our communities.
Dane County Jail Tour
Wednesday, April 5\13, 2016, 6:30-9:00PM
Before the Tour
I was unsure of
what to expect from this experience. It is all too easy to be so wound-up in my
own studies that I miss the realities that impact many people in our community.
I was rather indifferent when I first stepped into the jail. Beyond apathy, I
was also a little nervous. I did not know what to expect. As I have written in
this reflection, my views changed very quickly throughout this tour.
The Tour
We started the
tour in a conference room where the sheriff and jail manager introduced
themselves. They have both been working at the jail for many years (decades I
believe) and had a lot to say about the poor conditions of the buildings. They
explained that it is very difficult politically to get funding for improved
jail conditions.
After the
introduction, we went to the older jail building. I believe the sheriff said
its last renovations were in the 1950s for part and the 1980s for another part.
The jail manager explained that there are many constructional issues with the
building itself.
I will never
forget the looks on the faces of the inmates I saw during this tour. Many were
in isolation for 23 hours of the day, with only one hour allowed outside of
their small sleeping areas. There were small windows into their sleeping areas,
and most of the inmates stood at the windows to watch us during the tour. I can
still hear one man yelling at us, saying, “Don’t ever do something that would
get you on this side of the door.” He sounded so desperate to share with us how
much he hated the isolation and how much he regretted his actions.
As someone very
interested in education law, I was interested in seeing the classroom in the
jail. It was hardly a classroom. It was the size of a storage closet. The
technology was old, and there were messy papers everywhere. Still, it was full
of something hopeful, something different than the other parts of this
building. There were pictures of graduates in their caps and gowns, graduating
in the jail. The teachers that work there try very hard to get the cap and gown
color from their previous high schools. The teachers are adamant about
providing education to obtain high school diplomas, because diplomas are so
much more helpful than GEDs or other degrees for the future.
When we toured a
less restricted part of this building, I noticed that many of the inmates were
working around the jail. They did laundry, helped with food service, and
cleaned. One of the inmates asked to pet Renee. I hesitated, but said, “Yes,”
even though Renee had her harness on. I am so glad I did. The woman knelt down
and wrapped her arms around Renee, explaining that she could not even remember
the last time she got to pet a dog. This was a touching moment. The sheriff had
described the dog-training program that sometimes takes place in the jail. I
hope this woman can participate in that program in the future!
Tour Wrap-up
We finished the
tour in the newer building. It was better, but it was still rough. The inmates
had bunks all in one big room. They did everything in that room. It was loud
and sort of a controlled chaos situation. The jail manager mentioned that this
was especially tough for people with mental health issues. She said that most
people with mental health problems were put in isolation to get them out of the
noise. She said there are not enough resources for mental health interventions
at the jail. This broke my heart.
I appreciated
that they had a gym in this building. It was small, but I could imagine the
inmates enjoying the recreation. I am a firm believer that movement is a
powerful weapon against violence, mental health issues, and other problems that
we all face. The jail manager said the inmates do not get much time in the gym
though, because there are not enough people to supervise it.
Reflections
This tour was
optional. I could have done something else, like a police ride-along. However,
I believe this should be required for all 1L students. At risk of sounding
cheesy, I will say that this tour truly changed my life.
I have never
wanted to go into criminal law work. I still do not see my skills lining up
with those that are necessary or best for criminal law practice. However, this
tour changed the way I think about humanity. This is where I will flag that I
am about to add some faith perspective to my reflections. Although I know it
can be frowned upon in law and politics, I think it is necessary to share my
views and how they changed during this tour.
I grew up as a
person of faith. I grew up in a strong Christian family. I have known my entire
life that Romans 8:38-39 is true, that there is nothing that can separate a
believer from God’s love. I have always known that no sin, nothing you do or
that is done to you can ever change that. There is nothing more powerful than
that. Still, I subconsciously labeled “criminals” in my heart and mind. We do
this in our society. We have learned that certain people who do certain things
are “bad” or “scary” or “wrong.” But who are we to judge that? Who am I to say
that any of those inmates deserves anything less than I do, just because we
made different life choices? We all make mistakes and poor choices. That’s the
total depravity of humanity. Why did I ever think that these people were any
different from me?
I found myself
crying when I returned home after this tour. I am not a frequent crier. But I
found myself contemplating the reality that these inmates represent “the least
of these” as explained in the Bible. I have used this “least of these” language
when referring to individuals who experience discrimination in schools,
employment, and housing. But I never thought about these inmates as the least
of these as well. Think about it. These are the individuals who have found it
necessary to steal, do drugs, kill, rape, or some other negative action. But I
am positive that for most of them, these decisions were made based on life
experiences. Were they uneducated? Were they in a crime culture at home or
school? Did they feel neglected by parents? Teachers? Principals? Did they feel
wronged by society in some way?
We lash out at
certain responses to these depravities in our society, yet we do very little to
solve the issues. Instead, we lock people up. We limit mental health services,
health care, education, employment, and socialization of the people in our
communities who need these things the most. Now, I am not saying that jail or
prison is not necessary. Sometimes part of the process should require
separation from society for the safety of everyone. But most of the time, I do
not believe that is the case.
I have changed
my perspective of the criminal justice system. Instead of a punishment culture
that our society has quickly embraced, I think jail should be viewed as a
healing mechanism. There has been some wrong that was so wrong it could not be
made right in the minds of these individuals, so they chose to do something we
see as bad for society. We need to focus on these individuals. These are our
kids, parents, and friends. We need to focus on healing in a way that allows
for restorative justice and full inclusion in the community during and after
the healing.
I think this
should be considered case by case. There should be psychological evaluations,
mental health follow up, social work care, art therapy, music therapy, physical
education, and many other tools used to intervene. There is nothing that makes
these individuals less deserving of care or community than any of us on the
other side of the bars. We all deserve these things. I simply cannot believe I
have lived so much of my life thinking differently. I am grateful that I was
able to experience this early on in my professional career. I hope others have
experienced similar things. Perhaps we will be the generation to start this
healing process.
Best,
Sara
