I was given a very unique opportunity last quarter. My Criminal Justice class took a tour of a women’s prison in Marysville. Although I am not a Criminal Justice major, I felt that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. After all, I had never been inside a prison before. Choosing to participate in this tour has enriched my educational experience. For this, I am thankful to Professor Marilyn Simon for organizing the tour and University of Cincinnati’s First Year Success Grant for funding 80 percent of the trip.
Our tour guide showed us several different programs in which the women could participate. The programs that dealt with rehabilitation affected me the most. These programs were the military style boot camp and an addiction recovery program called Tapestry.
The women told us about the program as well as their personal experiences. Though their personal stories were shameful and embarrassing, they still shared their stories with us. They were very thankful to have the opportunity to turn their lives around through these rehabilitative programs. They genuinely want to live a clean life upon release. I find it heart-breaking that they had to come to prison to attain the life skills and tools necessary for law-abiding activity.
As an early-childhood education major, I found the nursery particularly interesting. Allowing mother and child to stay together in a prison is a controversial social issue. Until the tour, I had a mental image of infants in a cold sterile environment. I was pleasantly surprised to see a facility that was a warm and friendly home-like atmosphere full of educational resources. Rest assured, there are many requirements in order for a mother and child to be eligible for this program. While it is an issue challenged by critics, I see many benefits and can now fully support keeping mother and baby together.
Ohio Prison Industries is a work environment. The types of employment available to the women were data entry technician, seamstress and optical lab technician. These women work forty hours per week and are paid less than thirty dollars a month. However, it gives them an opportunity to learn a marketable job skill they can use upon release. This prevents them from having to turn to illegal measures to support themselves.
Any preconceived ideas I had of what a stereotypical prisoner looked like were quickly blown out of the water. I met women who could have been my neighbor, friend or classmate. While some appeared rough around the edges, the majority could easily fit into society. That was an astonishing realization. The women were polite and respectful. As I looked at the women, some in their early twenties and others in their golden years, I couldn’t help wondering what they were guilty of. They just didn’t appear to be common criminals, or what I thought a common criminal was. Later, our tour guide told us that 80 percent were convicted on drug related charges.
Our tax dollars support this facility. We spend approximately $25,000 annually to incarcerate an offender. The general consensus among our class was that our tax dollars could better service many of these women through other avenues such as rehabilitation and social services.
This was an experience I will not forget. I am glad I took part in the tour. If you are ever given a similar opportunity, I strongly recommend taking part. If you have any further questions about this or the Criminal Justice program, contact Professor Marilyn Simon.