The Mechanics of Going Into Prison
The prison where I serve is a sprawling complex consisting of five units surrounded by commercial farmland. Staff and visitors enter the prison through a building called “the complex.” They show their Prison ID there, and a guard in a plexiglass office flicks a switch that opens the door to a 6’x10’ vault. The door closes behind them, and they present their ID a second time to the guard before a door on the opposite wall opens, allowing them to enter the prison grounds. It reminded me of going through a decontamination chamber.
Once on the prison grounds, shuttle busses chauffeured by inmates take you to the various units. When they stop to pick you up, they shout out their stops. One inmate drives. Another sits near the driver, presumably to switch off and on with the driver during their 8-hour shift. The inmates enjoy a colorful mix of hip-hop, Latin, and classic rock from the shuttle’s radio.
The shuttles look like this, only they’re much older and less reliable:
It’s not uncommon to have to walk the quarter mile between units because a shuttle bus has broken down. That’s not so bad, but when it is over 110 degrees, it can be a sweaty walk from one unit to the next. I wear a straw hat. The guards commonly wear cowboy hats or floppy military hats. Prisoners are able to purchase orange bucket hats.
It’s not until you arrive at your unit that you are searched. Anyone who has gone through TSA security will be familiar with the drill. The metal detector is more sensitive than the ones at airports. Any bags or containers for food and water need to be see-through. And a guard will ask you if you have any money, cell phones, or contraband. Taking a cell phone to the yard is a class 5 felony.
So far not much different from the Bob Dylan concert we attended in San Diego a couple years ago.
All levity aside, I look forward to this series. I have a good friend who is a prison chaplain here in Yuma, and I love Pastor Nadia Bolz Weber and Dr. Richard Beck, who both do prison ministry, something I think that I may one day do too. We all should get together sometime one day. One day we will.