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Prison Report
Jul. 29th, 2005 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
terrieAck. I can't believe I forgot to post about this. For those who don't know, part of my summer has been spent doing an internship at the State Law Library's Law Library Service to Prisoners program. Technically, we're part of the Department of Corrections, but we're based out of the library.
Anyway, how the program works is that prisoners send in requests for legal information that they are unable to obtain in their prison law library. The requests are mailed to us, faxed, or called it. (Thankfully, I do not have to answer the phone). We find the information, copy it and mail it to them. In addition, once a month, a librarian visits the prison in person to meet face to face with the prisoners who want to do so. As part of the internship, I have the option of going along on one of these visits to a prison of my choice. It's not required, but I decided to visit Oak Park Heights, which is the state maximum security prison and the model fro SuperMax prisons around the country.
To get in, we had to call ahead with my information, so they could do a background check on me. I'm very boring, so this went off without a hitch. Once I got there, however, there were some problems. To get in, I needed what was called an "event letter." Mine had never made it to the front desk, so we stood around for twenty minutes while a new one was made up. I also had to take off my shoes to show the gal at the front desk and walk through a metal detector. Once my event letter was ready, they also stamped my hand with one of those UV sensitive stamps.
Now, the majority of the prison is below ground, except for the offices and such. So you go through a locked door and down an elevator. The elevator has no buttons for floors, rather you signal a camera which floor you want to go to.
The first place we visited was segragation. Dark and dismal. The outside exercise area was almost literally a kennel. It was long cement areas, surrounded on all sides by chain link -- including the top. The cells don't have very much light, and are tiny and cramped. They include a toilet and sink, but the showers are shared, though, of course, in seg it's one guy at a time.
From there, we went to the law library, where we were supposed to meet with at least six guys. Only, most of them were from the same unit and that unit was on lockdown. Apparently, there'd been a fight and they were searching each cell in the unit for contraband. So only two guys from other units showed up. The librarian I was with wore a blet with a radio on it for this. It was just the two of us in a small room with the prisoners. No guards. There was a security camera, and apparently a sensor in the raio that would tell them if it (and the librarian) were knocked horizantal. It didn't really feel unsafe though.
The final place we went was the Administrative Control Unit, or ACU, which is one step beyond Seg for security. To get there, you go down a hall where only one door can be open at a time. Then there's a guard area. The cells are down various hallways, the doors only on one side of the hall. There's a heavy unlocked door, a small area and then the door to the cell. The cell is sunnier than in Seg, and bigger, because it includes a shower. The doors are part plexiglass, so that a guard or anyone else can see what they're up to. Some of them have foam helmets hanging on the door, which prisoners who've headbutted people have to wear outside their cell. When they're moved form the exercise area and back, they wear handcuffs. There is nothing to do here. You have little if any contact with others.
All in all? Very interesting. Well worth it.
Anyway, how the program works is that prisoners send in requests for legal information that they are unable to obtain in their prison law library. The requests are mailed to us, faxed, or called it. (Thankfully, I do not have to answer the phone). We find the information, copy it and mail it to them. In addition, once a month, a librarian visits the prison in person to meet face to face with the prisoners who want to do so. As part of the internship, I have the option of going along on one of these visits to a prison of my choice. It's not required, but I decided to visit Oak Park Heights, which is the state maximum security prison and the model fro SuperMax prisons around the country.
To get in, we had to call ahead with my information, so they could do a background check on me. I'm very boring, so this went off without a hitch. Once I got there, however, there were some problems. To get in, I needed what was called an "event letter." Mine had never made it to the front desk, so we stood around for twenty minutes while a new one was made up. I also had to take off my shoes to show the gal at the front desk and walk through a metal detector. Once my event letter was ready, they also stamped my hand with one of those UV sensitive stamps.
Now, the majority of the prison is below ground, except for the offices and such. So you go through a locked door and down an elevator. The elevator has no buttons for floors, rather you signal a camera which floor you want to go to.
The first place we visited was segragation. Dark and dismal. The outside exercise area was almost literally a kennel. It was long cement areas, surrounded on all sides by chain link -- including the top. The cells don't have very much light, and are tiny and cramped. They include a toilet and sink, but the showers are shared, though, of course, in seg it's one guy at a time.
From there, we went to the law library, where we were supposed to meet with at least six guys. Only, most of them were from the same unit and that unit was on lockdown. Apparently, there'd been a fight and they were searching each cell in the unit for contraband. So only two guys from other units showed up. The librarian I was with wore a blet with a radio on it for this. It was just the two of us in a small room with the prisoners. No guards. There was a security camera, and apparently a sensor in the raio that would tell them if it (and the librarian) were knocked horizantal. It didn't really feel unsafe though.
The final place we went was the Administrative Control Unit, or ACU, which is one step beyond Seg for security. To get there, you go down a hall where only one door can be open at a time. Then there's a guard area. The cells are down various hallways, the doors only on one side of the hall. There's a heavy unlocked door, a small area and then the door to the cell. The cell is sunnier than in Seg, and bigger, because it includes a shower. The doors are part plexiglass, so that a guard or anyone else can see what they're up to. Some of them have foam helmets hanging on the door, which prisoners who've headbutted people have to wear outside their cell. When they're moved form the exercise area and back, they wear handcuffs. There is nothing to do here. You have little if any contact with others.
All in all? Very interesting. Well worth it.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-29 05:42 pm (UTC)