Luis Robles 10/31/13 Summary of the Tour On October 29, 2013 1 attend a tour in the United States Penitentiary prison in Atwater California. I arrived at 5 to check in with my other classmates, we filled out a form then from there correctional officers start calling us to go through a metal detector to search us then they took our Identification card away.
Officer Rodriguez and Officer Garcia were the leaders of the tour, we start walking into the prison and as soon we got into I start feeling a different environment we went to the visiting oom where inmates are allow to see their families it was not a big room but a good size, from there we move to the cafeteria where some of the inmates prepare food for other inmates, then we walk in the hall and then we went outside where the big patio is there were a lot of inmates Just staring at us my hands were sweating I was a little bit nervous but I didn’t want to show that I was.
We walk around the middle where the softball and exercising area are, there were some big guys Just staring at us really bad but they didn’t told us anything we Just keep walking straight. We got to the section were inmates are allow to be more free, we chat with couple of them for a few minutes and they were nice to us, we also see how the cells are, they are small were almost they can have anything Just few of the important things they have.
We got out from that section to go to the recreation area were inmates can do a lot of things like yoga, cardio, and aerobics. Also in that same building there are classrooms were some of the inmates can study and get their GED also there is a library and a computer lab. While we were walking on the hall we came across the psychologist teacher that deals with the dangerous inmates, he gave us some of the important staff that they use and the programs they offer to inmates.
After he finish talking to us we continue walking through the hall we came across a safe box where the control center has to unlock, in that box they keep; gas OC, flash backs, like ten buttons and smoke guns with a lot of rounds, also Officer Garcia and Lt. Phillips show us some ways on how to use the buttons.
After the little training they gave us we kept walking o the end of the hall as soon as we got to the entrance we knew that it was the end of the tour, we cross the safe doors and got to the control center to check out that way they can give us our Identification cards back and we had a little meeting in the conference room with Officer Rodriguez and Officer Garcia. The tour was a great experience for me because I learn things that I didn’t knew before and that are going to be very helpful in my life and especially if I become a Police Officer. A Tour of the United States Penitentiary Prison, Atwater California By guich043
