Emily Alfaro

Professor Chapman

CRIJ 2313

June 02, 2022

Reflection Paper

Walls Unit Tour Reflection Paper

Throughout the Walls Unit Tour, it felt weird being in the same environment as the inmates. I

started getting nervous when we were getting close because I did not know what to expect and

plus it was something I had on my to-do list, and you made it happen thank you for that, even

though Mikaela and I wanted to walk off every 5 minutes and see what would happen.

When we got there, we did not know that the guys that were working in the yard in

front of the entrance were inmates until we saw an officer come out with one of them. We

were about to ask for directions to the park. I noticed that those inmates must have good

behavior to receive those privileges and to use those tools. The correctional officers have so

much trust in them, like what if the inmate decides to attack them or remove the blade from

the lawnmower and try to kill them. The main road is right there, what if they try to escape and

run for freedom? Inmates have probably thought about escaping but I wonder why they have

not done it.

 After the Warden got done with his lecture, we entered the prison and we stopped in

the center of the yard. I noticed that all the inmates that were passing through kept staring at

us. There was this little gym in front of us for the inmates and they were sitting, and they kept

looking at us and smiling at us and I just smiled back to all of them. One of them winked at me

and I just turned to look at Mikaela and ignored it because what am I supposed to do? Wink at

him back? I saw how some of them had a cross necklace or some of the had a bible or some of

them were covered in tattoos. I figured that the inmates in white are the least dangerous. Some

of the inmates seemed friendly, a guy had a tattoo of his kid on his neck.

Something that really hit me was being in the same room where executions happen. He

came talking about it so calmly and everything. It felt cool walking into the execution room but

then you realize that you in the same room were people have died. I felt like I wanted pass out,

I do not know if it was because I was nervous of being in the execution room. The color of the

room is scary, imagine you are about to die and the last color you see is an aqua color like is the

color supposed to calm you or freak you out.

I would have liked to see the present Walls Unit to see if there were any changes from

the old one, there are some spots where you could hide from the officers. In the old building

where he took us there was some dark spots were someone can get raped at, the solitary

confinement room that he showed us and I got in, it was scary. I cannot imagine someone in

there for days or months, they would go crazy in that room.