As I first approached the prison that I was visiting, I got an overwhelming, unwelcoming feeling. As I entered the state prison I was first told that I must show a valid form of identification to enter any further. I presented the guard with my drivers license and he proceeded to inspect it carefully before handing it back with a stamp of approval. I was also asked to provide the guard with the inmate identification number in which I was visiting. In my specific case I was visiting a cousin. After getting approval to go forward, a background check was performed to make sure I did have a criminal history. As I proceed, I was directed to go through a metal detector and then asked to step forward where the correctional officers pat me down. They asked me to remove my earrings and checked to be sure that my clothing was appropriate for the prisons dress code. They do these thorough searches to be sure that no contraband or drugs are being brought inside of the prison.

Once I got inside I immediately saw all of the inmates. Some were in blue jumpsuits while others were in jeans and a t-shirt. When I entered the visiting room I walked up to the desk to tell them the inmate I was going to see. I spent three minutes looking around the room to see if my cousin had entered. The prison was extremely loud and filled with different voices and conversations. My cousin had finally come inside but it was difficult for me to see him at first glance because there was a lot of inmates. We walked to a table and sat down together. As I looked around all I saw was a lot of long tables with seats attached, three vending machines, one filled with snacks, one with drinks and the other with cheeseburgers and subs. There was card games and magazines. In one corner of the room they had a camera set up to take pictures with family and friends that were visiting. I walked to one of the machines to grab my cousin a burger and a soda. I had to heat the burger up in the microwave since it was frozen. I gave it to my cousin and instantly saw how much he truly appreciated it. This made me grateful for my freedom and I realized that some of things that I stress about aren’t actually important.

When I walked in the prison I had a already created perception of what the inmates would be like. I imagined that they would be intimidating, disrespectful, and unfriendly. However, they seemed like normal citizens. Many of them had family visiting. Some had a mother or father visiting, while others visited their spouse. I even saw children in the prison. Observing the way the inmates interacted with their children was eye opening for me. These individuals do not all fit into the typical inmate stereotype that many of us have in our minds. Almost every inmate that I was able to observe was caring, happy and calm while speaking with their families as well as with each other. Many of them had smiles on their faces and seemed to be very thankful and appreciative of the time that they were given to spent with their family or friends. I witnessed an inmate spending time with a little girl who appeared to be his daughter. He was going out of his way to make her laugh and show her that he loves her. It was evident by the look on his face that he cared about the little girl greatly and wanted to see her smile.

Observing these inmates, as well as my cousin while being in the prison for a short visit that day completely changed my perspective on these individuals. Although there are exceptions to everything, most of these individuals appeared to be very different from the images I had created in my head.