Beyond the Bars.

Its a sunny and breezy Tuesday morning. As Kate (our intern) and I make our way towards the elevator of the Doubletree Hotel, we are both silent. Not because either of us have nothing to say, but because of the task that lay ahead of us. We are on our way to York County Prison in York, PA. Our assignment, is to interview the warden, prison guards and staff and a few of the inmates that are being held as illegal immigrates. Now, York County Prison doubles as a holding facility as well as incarceration facilities for those who have been convicted of crimes and are due to serve five years or less. Those charges can range from burglary/robbery to homicide.
So, as we continue our walk to the elevator, minds lost in the days tasks, I allow myself to imagine what it would be like if I were in our subjects shoes......
Its 9am and we pull up outside this large gated, well guarded facility. We are asked to step out of the van and submit to pat downs and metal detector searches. Our van is searched thoroughly by very big and burly men holding Mac10 weapons and dressed in all black. They dont necessarily make eye contact with you, but the authoritative commands are enough to make you answer "Sir yes Sir". There are german shepards sniffing around you and the base of the van and we stand there, no longer having free will, but submitting to the strong arm of the law, so to speak, and we are just the visitors. After about 10 minutes of security checks, we are barked at by lead commanding Officer Jenkins. Poor Kate asks if he has a first name and he retorts, "Officer" will do just fine!" We are told to park our van in the visitors parking lot and make sure the display tag is visible on dashboard. We are reminded that camera/recording equipment is not allowed inside and if we are going to take area shots, we must do so now, because we will not be allowed to do so upon exiting. I look over at my boss, for a bit of reassurance, and I notice he too has a slightly somber expression on his face. We motion to our cameraman, the different type of shots we should get and I pick up the hand held and start to take random shots of the outside. This is home to so many people. A gated, concrete wall with flood lights and armed guards, all for my better benefit Im told. After about 20 minutes of photos and shot angles, we make our way towards the entrance. Once inside, we are subjected to yet another search, but this time we are separated. Our cameraman Chris, our Associate Producer Brian, and my boss Mike are taken to the left and Kate and I are taken to the right. Simply because women are checked by female guards and the men are checked by the male guards. Now this search got very familiar. I was told because I was very "endowed in the chest area" I would have to have a more, intense search of my person. So I am groped and squeezed and fondled by this woman, who seemed to have enjoyed the search a tad too much for my taste, but again. I am imagining myself in an inmates shoes, so dare I complain. After Kate and I are cleared, we re-adjust our clothes and head back out to the main forum and await the wardens arrival. To my grand surprise, its a very lovely and warm woman whos first name is all I can give you. Her name is Mary and she has a very maternal and warm look to her. But her handshake revealed a very stern and tough woman. As we are led to the communications/public relations room, Mary goes on and on about the facilities, when it was founded, where the original facilities were located, how long she has been there, and all the while, you hear in the background, the slamming of bars, dogs barking, and commands, constant commands. And a chill runs down my spine. The hallways smell of pine sol and bleach and once you are inside, there are no more clues as to what awaits in the outside world. No windows, no sunlight, not even the sound of the brisk wind blowing about the leaves on the trees. Mary rattles on about the number of male and female inmates that are currently housed in "her" facility. Most on misdemeanors, the rest awaiting deportation and/or court dates. We are not allowed to see the processing of inmates, but will be given a tour shortly. She looks over my wardrobe very carefully, which consisted of a charcoal gray sweater, white collar shirt underneath and a pair of black dress slacks. She stares at me for an uncomfortable 20 seconds and then proceeds to compliment me on my smile and teeth. She tells me I am very pretty and would be very popular here. I dont know if she was trying to make a joke but I didnt find her funny. I, of course, retort in my usual smart ass tone, oh, am I to assume you arent? You know, popular? The room goes silent for a brief moment, all air is sucked out of poor Kate and my boss' color slightly returns to his face. Mary doesnt respond to me in words, but she gives me a look that briefly shows me her inner bitch. Well, I have ones of those too, but just as she pointed out, mine is prettier!!! She speaks commands to a few of the guards and introduces us as part of the production team from PBS/Thirteen and not by name, shes says its for our own safety and we get a tour of the prison. Kate is holding onto me as though at any moment she will just tip right over and wake up 3 days later. I try to comfort her and let her know, we are fine and she begins to loosen up a bit, until we hear a whistle. A few of the inmates are hanging around the bars to the infirmary and one of them says in a Creepie McStalker type of voice" Hm Hm Hm , I would do all kinds of dirty things to her ass right now!!!" The warden stops and one of the guards turns to address him, but not before I turn and say "Careful, thats how you ended up here in the first place, Im sure..." The guard laughs and Mary gives a nervous smile, but poor Kate starts to tremble. She makes it through the tour, but cannot go into one of the empty mock cells that we are allowed to sit in for a few moments. To be in the shoes of the incarcerated, I wonder, so I am the first one who volunteers. I was fine sitting on the flat, hard mattress with the stale smelling pillows and obvious chill in the air . But when the bars are slammed shut, I began to slightly hyperventilate. I notice how small the room is and how the sink and the toilet kinda bleed into one another. I start to worry that maybe I should have lost 10 more pounds before this assignment because I am afraid I'll get stuck in between the wall and the bunk bed when I try to get up. No window, no air, no room, no freedom, no privacy, no sanity, NO MORE!!!! I hop off the bed and say okay, please open up, please. And even though it takes 4.5 seconds for the bars to open, I swear I had spent an eternity behind them. I run out and the guard hands me a glass of water. My boss asks me if Im okay, and I give a reassuring nod for I have no voice as of yet. My mouth is still closed and my throat is still tight. No one else wants to see what its like "on the inside" but constantly looks to me for a description of life beyond the bars. I cannot speak for another 3 minutes, which worries my coworkers, because I am usually, always verbally and vocally inclined to lead the conversation. As our tour comes to an end. We are heading back towards the Public Relations room where I am told we will be interviewing 5 illegal immigrants. I start to pull myself together and prepare for the next phase of this mind altering day.