Scared Straight !!
One of the cool things about being a firefighter is that there are alot of things that you get to see behind-the-scenes, that you wouldn't otherwise. This was certainly the case last night...
Fourth Mondays are the night for the Officers Drill, and we usually go out to tour a location or facility in the community that represents some particular hazard to either the firefighters or the community, or both. Shopping malls, oil terminals, electrical generation stations... they offer a great opportunity to discuss beforehand what we will have to do if we must respond there. After all, those in charge should have a better understanding of the uncommon hazards we face, and so will not be so quick to throw people into harm's way without appreciating all the dangers.
Lemon Creek Correctional Center has such an innocuous name for a prison.
Out of sight, outta mind, for me until last night. Nestled in the trees at the edge of town, between Lemon Creek and the foot of Heintzlemann Ridge, where you can just see it from the Home Depot parking lot... if you pay attention.
I probably shouldn't get too specific about the arrangements and what goes on there, but suffice to say that there are lots of guards, lots of metal bars, razor wire, cameras, heavy sliding doors, locks, rules, and specific procedures for all kinds of activities. Turns out, Alaska has some 5000 inmates housed in the state, and they take great pride in their status of being the safest penal system in the country (in terms of guards being killed... which would be none in like 50 years).
I still felt really uneasy going in thru the front gate... I guess I have watched too much TV. It was not what I expected: it was worse. There are no gangs, no drugs, no tobacco, and little violence. There is no privacy. No weights in the yard. The guards are very proactive watching inmate behavior, and problems are anticipated and folks dealt with before they become an issue. There are no beatings, no firehose showers, no secret torture chambers... but if you violate the minor rules, you quickly lose what little perks are available. First time, no warnings...
Control is established by the unemotional, completely predictable and open process of granting priveleges solely based on behavior. If you don't work at the Prison Industry, you get to stay in the open dorms where you probably won't get any sleep. If you don't have a HS diploma, you are required to work on getting it... and if you don't, you find yourself in 'punitive segregation,' which means a small concrete room with a toilet, a sleeping pad, and your religious materials. If you follow the rules and work hard, an inmate can expect to be left alone in as respectful a manner as is possible, and can fill his or her days doing whatever makes the time pass for them.
There are few problems because everyone knows that if you don't play well with others, there is every expectation that your life will be made worse than it already was.
On a very positive note, there are some truly astonishingly talented artists at work... native carvings, scrimshaw, drawings and quilting. Some of it is available for sale at the admin office in front, at probably a quarter of the price of art sold downtown (and just as high quality).
Anyway, I have rambled. I learned two things:
I never want to fight a fire in the LCCC.
I never want to stay at the LCCC.
I think tours of prisons for adolescents is a great idea (OK, that's actually three things...).
Whatever problems you might have 'on the outside' cannot ever start to compare to what it is to live on the 'inside.' Have yourself a great, law-abiding day.
KL
Fourth Mondays are the night for the Officers Drill, and we usually go out to tour a location or facility in the community that represents some particular hazard to either the firefighters or the community, or both. Shopping malls, oil terminals, electrical generation stations... they offer a great opportunity to discuss beforehand what we will have to do if we must respond there. After all, those in charge should have a better understanding of the uncommon hazards we face, and so will not be so quick to throw people into harm's way without appreciating all the dangers.
Lemon Creek Correctional Center has such an innocuous name for a prison.
Out of sight, outta mind, for me until last night. Nestled in the trees at the edge of town, between Lemon Creek and the foot of Heintzlemann Ridge, where you can just see it from the Home Depot parking lot... if you pay attention.
I probably shouldn't get too specific about the arrangements and what goes on there, but suffice to say that there are lots of guards, lots of metal bars, razor wire, cameras, heavy sliding doors, locks, rules, and specific procedures for all kinds of activities. Turns out, Alaska has some 5000 inmates housed in the state, and they take great pride in their status of being the safest penal system in the country (in terms of guards being killed... which would be none in like 50 years).
I still felt really uneasy going in thru the front gate... I guess I have watched too much TV. It was not what I expected: it was worse. There are no gangs, no drugs, no tobacco, and little violence. There is no privacy. No weights in the yard. The guards are very proactive watching inmate behavior, and problems are anticipated and folks dealt with before they become an issue. There are no beatings, no firehose showers, no secret torture chambers... but if you violate the minor rules, you quickly lose what little perks are available. First time, no warnings...
Control is established by the unemotional, completely predictable and open process of granting priveleges solely based on behavior. If you don't work at the Prison Industry, you get to stay in the open dorms where you probably won't get any sleep. If you don't have a HS diploma, you are required to work on getting it... and if you don't, you find yourself in 'punitive segregation,' which means a small concrete room with a toilet, a sleeping pad, and your religious materials. If you follow the rules and work hard, an inmate can expect to be left alone in as respectful a manner as is possible, and can fill his or her days doing whatever makes the time pass for them.
There are few problems because everyone knows that if you don't play well with others, there is every expectation that your life will be made worse than it already was.
On a very positive note, there are some truly astonishingly talented artists at work... native carvings, scrimshaw, drawings and quilting. Some of it is available for sale at the admin office in front, at probably a quarter of the price of art sold downtown (and just as high quality).
Anyway, I have rambled. I learned two things:
I never want to fight a fire in the LCCC.
I never want to stay at the LCCC.
I think tours of prisons for adolescents is a great idea (OK, that's actually three things...).
Whatever problems you might have 'on the outside' cannot ever start to compare to what it is to live on the 'inside.' Have yourself a great, law-abiding day.
KL
posted by Ken at 3:27 PM
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