Our class field trip to Orient Rd. Jail was quite the experience. I hadn't been to a jail before and this field trip was definitely an eye opener, I guess this may have been due to my more naive expectations. Right off the back I was surprised that we had to sign waivers regarding any incidents that occurred while in the jail. However, probably the biggest initial shock was walking into booking and realizing that there were inmates roaming freely. I really thought any and every prisoner would be behind a glass wall.
Major Lucas gave us a lot of surprising information while giving us the tour, such as the large number of bookings every year. According to the population summary booklet, in 2007 one person was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail system approximately every seven minutes. This figure was made visible, with the arrival of several different people as we were being toured.
The immensity of the jail was kind of scary, and this fact combined with the vastly disproportionate number of inmates to officers made it all the more concerning. At one point they informed us that per state rules, if there are any more than 72 inmates there must be more than one officer. Of course, probably in efforts to save money, they push the boundaries to keep one officer per unit of 72.
Major Lucas brought up an issue at the end of the tour that never would have crossed my mind; he let us know that in the event of a hurricane hitting Florida, they don't have the luxury of leaving. He informed us that it was obvious that an evacuation would create panic, so it is their duty to stay and ride out the storm. I think it’s a very selfless act and the detention employees should truly be applauded for their work. In the end, no matter how unpleasing it may have been to be in the middle of the jail, it appeared that the institution was being operated well and that their methods are working.
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