Our criminal justice class took a trip to the Huntington and Wabash county jail this week. I was very excited to go on these trips since I had never actually got the opportunity to go into the main parts of the jail before. I was intrigued to learn more information about the jails and how they operate. To my surprise, there were many differences and similarities between the two jails.
The Huntington County jail (HCJ) is located in downtown Huntington, catty corner from the court house. Having the court house close by is easy and convenient for the jail so the county can transport inmates without using extra money on transportation. Upon arriving to the jail, our class was greeted by the jail warden, Jeff Kyle. He took us to a room where all the surveillance is kept and looked over. He told us of many stories that he has dealt with and also stories that his co-workers were a part of at the jail. Some were funny; however, some were very vivid and treacherous. We were taken to the garage area where an officer first arrives with the criminals. The officer has to take off his weapons from his belt and put them inside a locked compartment. No firearms are allowed in the HCJ. Next, we traveled through and into the booking area. To the side there appeared to be large chairs with hand cuffs connected to them. Kyle explained that these “fun chairs” were for people who don’t cooperate when being taken into the jail. That is whether they are intoxicated, on a controlled substance, or just plain crazy. I was surprised to find out that these chairs cost from 1,000-2,000 dollars each. We were shown the booking stages, a chart with all the inmates’ names, and interrogation rooms to end the tour. I was very disappointed that the HCJ didn’t allow us to see the actual cell blocks the inmates reside in. I feel …show more content…
Another similarity is that the court house is close by as well. The court house is on a large hill across the street from the new and old jail. I thought it was very interesting to see the old jail that was used in the 1800s. Striker went on to tell us that the jail was home to the sheriff where him, his family, and inmates stayed. This reminded me greatly of one of my favorite old T.V. shows, The Andy Griffith Show. We walked over to the new jail that is currently used and met with the chief deputy who took us on our tour. Unlike the HCJ, we were able to see where families come and talk to their loved ones through a telephone and a window, the kitchen, the suicide rooms, the drunk tank, and my personal favorite, the cell blocks. We were able to go past a cell block where inmates were currently in and see how their living conditions were and what all they were able to do in their confined area. I enjoyed the basement of the jail where inmates are on work release. They are allowed to leave to go to work but then have to come back right away. They are monitored by a tracking ankle bracelet that is able to tell exactly where the inmate is going, how fast they are going in their car, and latitude and longitudes of where they are at. This area of the jail is way more relaxed and easy
The Huntington County jail (HCJ) is located in downtown Huntington, catty corner from the court house. Having the court house close by is easy and convenient for the jail so the county can transport inmates without using extra money on transportation. Upon arriving to the jail, our class was greeted by the jail warden, Jeff Kyle. He took us to a room where all the surveillance is kept and looked over. He told us of many stories that he has dealt with and also stories that his co-workers were a part of at the jail. Some were funny; however, some were very vivid and treacherous. We were taken to the garage area where an officer first arrives with the criminals. The officer has to take off his weapons from his belt and put them inside a locked compartment. No firearms are allowed in the HCJ. Next, we traveled through and into the booking area. To the side there appeared to be large chairs with hand cuffs connected to them. Kyle explained that these “fun chairs” were for people who don’t cooperate when being taken into the jail. That is whether they are intoxicated, on a controlled substance, or just plain crazy. I was surprised to find out that these chairs cost from 1,000-2,000 dollars each. We were shown the booking stages, a chart with all the inmates’ names, and interrogation rooms to end the tour. I was very disappointed that the HCJ didn’t allow us to see the actual cell blocks the inmates reside in. I feel …show more content…
Another similarity is that the court house is close by as well. The court house is on a large hill across the street from the new and old jail. I thought it was very interesting to see the old jail that was used in the 1800s. Striker went on to tell us that the jail was home to the sheriff where him, his family, and inmates stayed. This reminded me greatly of one of my favorite old T.V. shows, The Andy Griffith Show. We walked over to the new jail that is currently used and met with the chief deputy who took us on our tour. Unlike the HCJ, we were able to see where families come and talk to their loved ones through a telephone and a window, the kitchen, the suicide rooms, the drunk tank, and my personal favorite, the cell blocks. We were able to go past a cell block where inmates were currently in and see how their living conditions were and what all they were able to do in their confined area. I enjoyed the basement of the jail where inmates are on work release. They are allowed to leave to go to work but then have to come back right away. They are monitored by a tracking ankle bracelet that is able to tell exactly where the inmate is going, how fast they are going in their car, and latitude and longitudes of where they are at. This area of the jail is way more relaxed and easy