Me and my friends were driving down the street last night when the unthinkable happened. To make a long story short, we ended up in jail for a night. We got to the jail and were escorted in. Police officers and medical staff walked around and looked at us as we passed. Inmates who'd gotten their before us watched us and made attempts to signal us. We were there for about an hour and a half before we were finally let go, and I have to say, it was a wild experience.

That's the simplified story of the tour my friends and I went on through the Weber County Sheriff Department. Did I fool you at all? Was my hook effective? Am I being a little too meta right now? Maybe. But I did go to jail last night, just not as a prisoner. My roommate is a criminal justice major and his corrections class had the opportunity to tour the jail for extra credit. I was fortunate enough to tag along and see the inner workings of an entire world I know nothing about.

And that's the first thing I want to really emphasize: we know NOTHING about jail. I still know nothing about jail, but I know more than I did before. Jail and prison are parts of life that most people don't have to deal with during their life. I think so anyway. We acknowledge that police officers exist and throw people in jail, but for the most part that's the extent of our knowledge. Everything is taken care of for us so we don't know anything about it. It would be like touring a car factory or a billion dollar corporation; going behind the scenes really shows us that we don't understand nearly as much as we think we do. Entering the jail, I knew I'd see inmates, but it was startling to see so many. They were members of the community and now their community is inside the jail. It's an entirely different world, and it was so intriguing to get a glimpse inside of it.

I brought up the people, so lets talk about the realization of seeing people in jail, particularly the maximum security inmates. Seeing these peoples' faces is in a sense overwhelming. I think most of us believe that people are inherently good and we can't fathom witnessing a serious crime. But looking at these people in their orange jumpsuits or white t-shirts and sweatpants or whatever particular uniform they were wearing makes you confront crime literally face to face. While in the women's ward, an officer was naming same of the crimes that people committed. Public lewdness and intoxication, drunk driving, even murder. Have you ever (knowingly) been close to a known murderer? Even behind the glass and locked doors with officers all around, it feels a little unsafe. Maybe uneasy is a better word. To look at a person (or their door in my case) and know they've (the person behind that door) taken a human life is surreal. It makes me wonder why they did it, who they did it to, and so many other questions. The same goes for every other prisoner. I was looking at thieves, murderers, alcoholics, rapists, and countless other crimes. I've always viewed these people as "other" and removed myself from them, but to be feet away from convicted criminals is an experience I can't put into words. Surreal is the closest I can get, but even that doesn't do it justice.

The lives of the prisoners are also really fascinating. We were walked through exactly what happens when someone is arrested and shown where the prisoners are sent for different things. All of them are booked, strip checked, issued new clothes, and given housing based on the severity of the crime. Different levels of crime got different privileges. Maximum security prisoners get next to no time outside their cells, but the lower levels can move relatively freely around their "dorms" and living areas. There are televisions in there, an iPad for speaking to the guards and buying things, and so on. I was just baffled when I heard that prisoners were able to purchase things (at absurd prices) like peanut butter, new shoes, and things like that. The jail was kind of a business, which sounds awful but at the same time it's very expensive to keep them so it's not the worst idea I've heard. The recreation yard is really strange because it's enclosed, but "outside" with a net above them. The prisoners have no freedom in there to see outside except for whatever is above them and whatever is on TV. Oh, and whatever they hear from visitation.

And lastly, the officers. I feel as though police officers have a bad reputation, and more than just because of recent issues with police brutality. Video games vilify them, we vilify them when we're breaking the law, and so on. We kind of just expect them to do their job without appreciating them for it, like we're entitled to their services. We don't get the chance to see inside the life of an officer. Granted, I only saw a fraction of it, but it gave me so much more respect for officers. They were calling prisoners by name, they knew about charges, and they generally seemed to want to help the prisoners. I've always thought that police officers hated the people they work with because they're criminals, but I saw that these are people who seem to genuinely care for the well being of those under their custody. It was so strange and jarring to see.

So after seeing everything (the inside of the prison, the corridors, learning the process of arrest and release and stuff, seeing the inmates), I would say my life is changed a little bit. I don't see Ogden or the world in the exact same way anymore. By the way, maybe it's just because Utah is mostly white, but the ratio of prisoners by race didn't appear skewed to me. Most of them were white. I don't know if that is of any importance, but just something worth noting I think. Anyway, I would urge anyone who reads this to go and tour a jail if you can. It's fascinating and a real reality check. I realized how privileged I really am and how much worse my life could be. It's an experience I would recommend to anyone. So go and look into the jail system wherever you are, because your world will definitely be changed.