V - I'm guessing when you went to the prison you spoke to a few of the foreigners there? If you did, what did they say? Were they like "it's ok, not to bad, no one hassles us" or were they more like "Dude! get me the F out of here, this place is a nightmare!!!!"
Hi, Matkirk. I've reported here what I observed, myself. There are things I could have added, like how clean the cells were of the prisoners I spoke with: they do their own cleaning, according to arrangements they work out among themselves, there being several prisoners to a cell. Cooking is allowed in the cells, so they do a lot of their own cooking, preferring that to prison food. You get the impression, both from what I observed and what I was told, that the prison operates much like a village: things are bought, sold, traded, and exchanged. So, if you give a gift to a prisoner, he may decide to exchange it for something he needs/wants more, from another prisoner. All of the prisoners who are able try to do/offer something that will result in them earning some money, or getting something they want in exchange. For example, those who can cook well may sell/trade freshly cooked food, in exchange for money or other things he needs. In this, and other respects, life on the outside is immitated. It's possible to find something positive in this degree of freedom within the prison (though we understand that to be in prison is not to be free). All of this is in sharp contrast with the prisons I've been acquainted with, where little if any freedom is allowed in any area of life, and there is mind-numbing monotony: you eat what and when you are told, you wear what you are told, and outside of a very short list you are not allowed to possess anything at all. As for what individual prisoners told me about their personal situations (all are different) I'm not at liberty to say, there having been a kind of loose understanding of confidentiality in the conversations I had with them. What should be clear from this thread is that, while all of the things Jim spoke of can be present in the prison environment, there are also things that bring some happiness to those who must be there and put up with everything else they have to contend with behind the walls.
Sounds like a great place and a great bunch of folks! Where do I sign up? What do I have to do to get in? What did they do to get in?
This thread is becoming nutty. I can see that V is trying to point out that there are some less than horrible things about the Cancun Jail. But I have heard far, far to many horror stories about that place. The only conclusion I can come to is that there's a big disconnect somewhere here between the reality painted for me by people who've been in there and by V. Something here is not right.
Hi, RG. You keep moving us towards the philosophical, here. The Cancun Jail does not have to be all good, or all evil- it can be a mixture of both, just as with about everything else in life. It is a jail/prison, and carries with it all the awful possibilities that those types of institutions hold. All I've done is call attention to the existence of some things about it that some people might perceive as positive. ___________________ Getting back to the practical, what, on this list of things I saw there, do you find disturbing? -families visiting; -children playing; -boyfriends and girlfriends expressing affection for each other; -shops; -cafes; tables and waiters; -prisoners not in lockdown, but moving about the compound, mingling with all
It's not that any of what you saw is disturbing, not at all. The concept of waiters surprised me, the rest fits other accounts I've heard of the place. What disturbs me is the feeling that you will apologize for any and all bad things in Mexico, it's kind of creepy. I hear what you are saying about the jail, I get it. You just seem a bit emphatic and this feels a bit crazy to me. I'm sure you are just trying to make a point...but something about this is over the edge for me.
Ok...... Now we are back on track. During these prison visits, did you see this fellow Free? It seems everything has gone very quiet. Presume the unfortunate guy is still lingering in prison waiting for a miracle.
I went to visit the prison as a humanitarian gesture, taking gifts with me, with the intention of visiting as many prisoners as possible. When you're locked up it can sometimes be a pleasant diversion just to have someone new to talk to, and gifts are always appreciated, as it provides something to barter with, later. I spoke with any and all who expressed an interest in talking with me, on a loose condition of confidentiality- including names and anything they cared to tell me of a personal or private nature- just so they'd feel more comfortable, and be reassured that I was there for humanitarian purposes only. As for the Free case, not too much happening is a good thing, if you're talking about things like the kidnapping of his mom, or the abduction of his attorney. Court dates are set for April, as I understand it.
