Always a Student, Never an Inmate

JSBP: Field Study #3

 

Who would have thought this building could hold over 200 inmates?  Certainly not me, but today I had the unsettling experience of exploring the inside of a prison in Eger, Hungary with the rest of my JSBP family.  In today’s field studies excursion, we had the opportunity to learn about the prison system in Hungary, as well as the inner workings of a prison that functions as both a medium security women’s prison, and high security remand male and juvenile prison. 

Train station in Eger, Hungary

            Built in 1908, the plaster on the walls prison were crumbling, pipes showed their age, and the entire place had a distinct smell complimented by a somber aura.  Before today, I had never really resolved NOT to be in a prison as a visitor or inmate, mostly because I had never considered it a possibility.  I can assure anyone reading this that I will never again enter a prison.  We had the chance to enter a holding cell that is also used as an isolation room.  In isolation rooms, the bed is locked up to the wall until 8 pm daily, so that you cannot lie down comfortably.  We also had the chance to go into a 12-women cell and a 12-men cell.  The beds consisted of wooden boards with a piece of foam covered in a flannel blanket, a pillow and another white blanket.  If you enter the prison with any semblance of sanity, you sure as hell aren’t leaving the same. 

Outside the prison

            As freaked out as I was walking around the prison, Sarah wasted no breath in continuously reminding me that other prisons are much worse.  What I imagined as absolute torture would be a sanctuary for some American prisoners.  Maybe I don’t know too much about American prisons, and maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world.  An interesting and accurate comparison I was able to make was the difference in uniforms worn by prisoners.  Remand prisoners (who are waiting on their sentence) in this particular prison are allowed to wear their civilian clothes, while sentenced prisoners don a short sleeved collared shirt patterned with lavender hounds tooth…European style apparently applies to prisons, too.  But knowing this, I was nervous to walk through the prison, because how could anyone differentiate who was who?  Even though his demeanor was non-threatening, I even mistook the prison priest for a remand prisoner.  The whole concept of not thoroughly distinguishing between civilian and prisoner is foreign to me. 

            The prison governor (as far as I understand, he is pretty much the warden) spoke in depth about the efforts that the prison staff takes to make sure that the prisoners can reenter the civilian population with a fresh start or new opportunity.  The reality of the Hungarian prison system makes it likely that prisoners will walk out of prison before their death.  There is no capital punishment and serving a life-term is unlikely.  Moreover, some murderers will only serve a term of 5-8 years, so the importance of education programs or volunteer programs serve a greater purpose.  As the prison governor put it (more or less) “if you treat them like animals, they’ll go back as animals.” 

Overlooking the
 beautiful town of Eger

"if you treat them like animals, they'll
go back as animals." (Above: animals being
released back into the wild) 

            One of the most successful programs that the prison engages in, which they developed and implemented in 2008, is called “Prison of the City.”  The whole concept of the program is to allow inmates to volunteer 1-2 times a month for outdoor places in Eger.  The prisoners are responsible for picking up 7000 tons of rubbish within 3500 hours, and have completed 35 different excursions.  About 60 prisoners take part in this program for absolutely no reward other than self-pride and for the gratitude of townspeople.  Ultimately, these and other programs function to make prison life more livable.  But I cannot imagine spending any length of time in a cell, surrounded by droves of dangerous people, having constant direction in order for me to do anything, and/or spending only one hour a day outside.  Prison life completely removes any sort of choice from your life unless you choose to engage in educational programs, recreational programs, or volunteer.  And while today was an extremely interesting and rewarding experience with many educational aspects, I think it really functioned as a life lesson for me: don’t go to prison (or don’t get caught).

This picture shows the locations of the prisons in Hungary.  The two most famous are in Szeged and Nagyfa, directly south from the prison we visited in Eger.

After this depressing experience, we had the chance to walk through Eger, a small town with an amazing castle and amazing wine...here are some pictures from the rest of the day!

>>>>>>>>>>  Alex: the Archer   >>>>>>>>>>

One of the many beautiful sights in Eger;
the streets were entirely cobblestone, very European.

Most likely where they kept the dragon.

Fortress

At the top of the castle!

 After today's adventures, I'm absolutely beat.... so good luck and good night!