Montgomery Transition Center (JAIL)

Today, the Justice Seminar class visited the Montgomery Transition Center which is basically a prison for people that have a sentence of under 3 years left. However, when we got there, they told us differently. This experience is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. I say this because there is no way that you or anyone can just tour am entire prison. When I first entered, I saw that it was extremely old and it also smelled weird. I guess the smell can be justified with the fact that there is no air conditioning in the institution. The first place that we toured was the area that had the tier cells. That was the scariest part because inmates were yelling and screaming. One of the inmates told one of my classmates that he owed him money. It was also terrifying because when I looked at one of the inmates, he gave me this piercing look that forced me to break eye contact with him. The thing that I noticed however is that everyone had their own personal things like CD players, game devices, etc. One inmate even had a mirror in which he used to look around the area because of the fact that he couldn't see out. We were also able to walk through the cafeteria while they were eating. This was where they were shouting out comments to us, I guess with hopes of scaring us. One of the inmates even called me a beautiful plaid butterfly. I knew he was talking to me because I was the only person wearing plaid -_-. The Correction Officers also gave us a tour of the dorm style cells. This I know was very uncomfortable for the inmates because we were able to see all their things and basically see them at their worst.

The most interesting thing was for us to see where hangings took place long ago. Funnily, it was outside in the open on the side of a wall. I never thought that it was this public. We were also able to see where the lethal injection is administered in the event that it has to. Just being in the room was very scary because it was a little strip that the person has to lay on in which they are strapped down to. I was also able to sit in the gas chamber which I think was thee most scariest thing. I say this for the mere thought that someone was once killed in that same chair that I sat in. One of the correction officers gave us a brief run through of exactly what happens with anyone who is scheduled to receive the death penalty.

All in all, this was a very fun experience and I NEVER want to go to jail or be incarcerated in any way.