Gracie Day 1

Today was the first day of project week and it was definitely an eventful one. After having visited the New Hampton Police Department and then the Belknap County Jail I can say that I have learned a lot. I myself had made previous assumptions that jail can't be as bad as they perceive it on in the media, however it really does stink to these inmates. At times when in the Belknap County Jail, I was a bit creeped out however it was also sad to see all of these people whom get to the point of confinement. Although I say this, it was awesome how much the officers cared about the progress of the inmates in getting better and staying out of jail once they leave. As project week continues on I can not wait to see what else is out there to learn. I am especially excited for tomorrow and visiting a jail in Boston and actually speaking with the inmates themselves! CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2014!

Criminal Justice Day 1

Josh Repine

Today we visited the New Hampton police department and saw the inside of a jail. These places were very eye opening, informative and similar. I was impressed with all of the safety checks that are performed to protect the workers inside. For example certain doors only open if another door is shut or if granted permission by a control board. While in the jail I was surprised by the limited amount of workers inside. The police worker said at times there are only 4 police workers patrolling upwards of 100 inmates and in the jail none of the police workers carry any fire arms. 

Jackie Martel Day 1

After visiting and touring both the Belknap County Jail and the New Hampton Police Department, my perspective has been enlightened. I never realized that there was so many projects that took place within the jail and how many opportunities are offered. It was good to hear from the Superintendent of the jail that they have the inmates' best interests in mind and, aside from what we say to people, they hope not to see inmates again after they leave.

It was interesting to be able to see the living quarters and the entire process of how an arrest takes place. All of these experiences made me excited for tomorrow's visit in Boston because that will be on a much larger scale than what we saw today. We will have the opportunity to see an operation and system that is most likely more strict because of the higher number of inmates along with seriousness of the crimes that were committed. Today was a great first day for the group as a whole and a great first step to taking a look into the criminal justice system!

Visit to the Jail

Aubrey Dawkins

Today was filled with tons of new information and insight, from learning the process of taking someone into custody, to actually seeing and being in the living quarters of an inmate. You learn best hands on and this was a real as it gets. I really found the protocol for security and safety most interesting when taking someone into custody. It's shocking how smart some people can be, and how dangerous the simplest objects and situations can become when given the right minute details.

Cole Anderson day 1

What a great experience today was - visiting the New Hampton jail and the Belknap jail. Some of the things I expected to be true were and some things I thought were true weren't - like how they separate the inmates and the different levels of security.

Alisha Gilbert Day 1

Today was very fun. I enjoyed visiting the police department as well at the county jail. I was nervous when we went into the boys "dorm" at Belknap and they were all staring at us. The guards seemed to get a long well with the inmates and the inmates reacted well with eachother as well. When we went into the boys "dorm" and the officer was talking, an inmate told me "it isn't that bad, don't listen to him." I thought that that was interesting to think that he really didn't hate it there. When we got to peek in on maximum security, I got a little scared because one of the guys were staring at us out of his window. It was pretty creepy. I couldn't ever imagine going there for committing a crime, but I honestly wouldn't mind working there.

Emily Cuthbertson - Visit to County Jail

Today I learned the process of booking a criminal and how an officer handles the process. When visiting the county jail I assumed that all inmates were kept in single cells by themselves. Touring the jail I learned that some inmates who need maximum or medium security are kept in individual cells, but the inmates with minimum security were allowed to be out and hang around with other inmates. Before arriving at the jail I was nervous on what to expect, but when I got inside I realize that most inmates were just regular people doing their time. Going into the county jail and seeing small scale criminals who were mainly sentenced for one year made me excited to see the jail in Boston and how they handle their inmates on a different level then a county jail.