Jail

I went to jail on Sunday.

It was interesting, I've never been to a jail before.  Other than the police department jails, that is.

I got there at 3 o'clockish and went through orientation, along with 31 or so other people.  It was there that I was informed that most detainees have the reading ability of a 7th grader and that they're very creative when it comes to making weapons (shivs/shanks).  I also learned that sometimes detainees can have all sorts of diseases (thus we shouldn't touch them), that fights occur, and that I should pray with my eyes open.  Why with my eyes open?  In case one of them decides to take a slug at someone they're mad at and miss, accidentally socking me instead.  I should also beware and pay attention to where each detainee is at any given moment.

I learned that in this particular jail, the people who wore striped outfits had not yet gone to court, and that those in who were in solid colors had already been through the courts.  Also, certain solid colors were for trustees.  Only certain detainees are eligible to be a trustee.  For example, those charged with violent crimes, like domestic assault, sexual assault, or burglary cannot be trustees.  Detainees can become trustees through good behavior.  Basically, they earn the privilege.  The responsibility of the trustees are preparing/serving the food, doing dishes, and stuff like that.  For each day served as a trustee, he/she will get two days taken off their sentence.

Gosh, they make these people sounds like animals, don't they?

After orientation, they took us on a tour of the jail.  We walked through the halls, through lots of locked doors (I'm not quite sure how anyone is able to escape from jail), and into the control center. . . the jail is shaped sort of like a hexagon/septagon/octagon (I'm not sure how many sides it has, exactly, but you get the point), and the control center is... well, in the center.  There is a one way glass and that allows the guards to look into all the different blocks/pods.  They have a bunch of monitors set up which display the shots from varying security cameras that screen the activities of the detainees.  The only light in the room is from the various buttons, machines, and monitors.  Radio noise crackled from all the guards' walkie-talkies.  I could see various detainees sitting around the tables playing cards, some lounging in their bunks, and some in the bathrooms.  The men had less privacy than the women; the women's showers had curtains but the men's didn't.  Actually, from where I was standing, I could see one man urinating at a toilet.  Thankfully there was a short wall that covered the lower half of his body.

Also, prisoners aren't allowed to know what time it is.  They do have one hour a day to spend outside in the courtyard, so I suppose they can figure out an approximate time then.  They wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning, which sounds so early to us, but to them it could very well be 2 o'clock PM.  They just don't know. . . I mean, can there be night/day or early/late without sunlight?

After going on the tour, we left, ate dinner, and came back around 6:45 to go in an do a Bible Study.

I went in with a girl who had done jail ministry last year.  We wandered into block-H.  There were about 6-8 women crowded around two of the cool steel tables bolted to the concrete.  The ladies already had a bunch of tracts and one Bible on the table when we got there.  When they saw us, they excitedly proclaimed, "Ah, come on in!"  Then they called to the guard and requested she bring them Bibles.  I introduced myself to the ladies and one woman stuck out her hand for me to shake.  I very hesitantly shook her hand, a little wary after being informed of potential diseases, like HIV, tetanus, Hepatitis, or leprosy that past inmates had come in with.

I stood around for awhile, not sure what to do.  There weren't enough chairs for everyone.  Eventually I sat down, and the girl I was with began to talk about Isaiah 55.  I added a few words here and there.

The longer I was there, the more comfortable I got.

One woman was a little off; I'm not sure if it was psychological or drug-related.  However, she would quote things like, "God is power, Satan is justice."  or random things about Mary and baby Jesus being grabbed by the heel, and Dr Pepper waiting in a field. . . there being three Angel's, God's angel, Satan's angel, and man's angel. . . and another something about a certain male appendage being cut off of Jesus.  Except it was a lot more crude than that.

A few times I asked her where these quotes were from, and without hesitation she stated, "Matthew, they're from the book of Matthew."  And I just responded, "I don't remember reading that in the book of Matthew, I think I'll have to read it again."

Finally, after more and more quotes I stated, "You know, I really don't remember reading any of this in Matthew.  Maybe you can show me which part of Matthew it's written in?"
"Oh, it's witchcraft.  The book of Matthew."
"Ohh, I see.  You have an excellent memory to be quoting all this."
"Thanks."
"Really, you have an amazing memory."
"I used to be Baptist, then Catholic."

. . . she was pacing around us around muttering to herself (or to a perceived someone) and was disrupting the Bible Study, so a few of the ladies asked her to be quiet.  Instead, she started shouting at them, "I  will NOT be quiet!  These are my children I am fighting for!  I will NOT be quiet!"  And started quoting things even more loudly and continued circling around the group of ladies.  I was silently pleading, "Please don't respond, please don't respond," as I feared there might be a fight.  Thankfully, none of the ladies responded to her and we continued with our discussion.

Some of the ladies wanted to know what sorts of things they could do when they got out to prevent falling back into the same old lifestyles and the same bad peer groups.  We told them we'd talk to the Chaplain and find out if there's any sort of assistance/support groups/mentor programs they could join after they got out.  The Chaplain said there's nothing for these people when they get out.  It's so discouraging. . . they want to change, but they don't know how to change, and they definitely can't do it by themselves.  They need accountability and relationships, but there's no opportunities for that.  That could be a whole new ministry, and it's just begging to be started.

By the end of the night, I had a revelation.  These people are just like you and me.  Despite all the warnings the chaplain had given us, these people are pleasant and friendly.  They could be my neighbors, members at my church, my co-workers. . . they've just made mistakes.  But you know what?  I've made tons of mistakes too.  There's only a few differences between me and them.  1) They've been caught and I haven't. 2) what they've done has been made unlawful by the government.  3) The biggest difference of all is that, while there's been consequences for my actions, I've also experienced forgiveness, grace, and cleansing from my sins.  My guess is that most, if not all of these women, couldn't claim that to be true for themselves.

Despite all the warnings against flesh-to-flesh contact, we all held hands while we prayed.  You know what, even if these people are diseased, so what?  Should my fear of disease inhibit or deter my ministry, or one way in which I can show these women love?  God is my provider and my healer, and he will sustain my health.

Call me naive, but my goal in life is not to live to be old and disease free (though that would be an added bonus).

The point is, these people are God's children too, and he loves them equally as much as he loves me.  What else can I do but obey God and allow him to use me as a vessel to pour out his love and compassion on his children, my sisters?