Criminal Justice Day 2 - Teresa

The Belknap Jail we visited Monday was almost the opposite of the Nashua Street Jail we visited Tuesday. Belknap jail had a more nurturing environment, where they cared about the inmates well being. At the Nashua Street Jail there was no friendly relationship between the guards and the inmates. The description both the guard that toured us and the inmate that spoke to us gave me the impression that the way prisons are portrayed is much like the way it is portrayed on television. There are gangs, fights, and conspiracies that go on within the prison walls. The inmate was telling us that you have to be very careful about how you act, one off action and you will be attacked by the other inmates. The guard described it as a predator and prey relationship. When you come in you are labeled as one or the other. He described it as lions that gang up and attack any weak zebra. The atmosphere of the Nashua Street Jail was dark and depressing. There didn't seem to be much effort to change the criminal ways of the inmates.