Diary Game for a Betterlife January 12, 2024

Today was just another ordinary day for me, my classical every day walk to the waterfront to get my steps in and also to see what is happening around the town. So I was kind of surprised when I got to the small park just before the waterfront and heard that all the prisoners from the local prison had been transported the night before to prisons all across the country and the prison was closed.

Now I have to tell you, this prison, according to a sign it used to have was built in1912 and is just a few meters from the entrance to the old wharf. So it has been a prison for over one hundred years right in what is the city center. It is not a huge building, I would say about 50 meters by 50 meters. Within these walls there was a population of 467 prisoners plus a few dozen guards. This place was incredibly packed. According to what I have heard, the beds were up to five high per bunk. I wouldn't be able to sleep there ever, claustrophobia would kill me, I guess I would just sleep on the floor.

Now in this place there were no violent criminals at the most those in for domestic violence. Mostly it was petty thieves, con-men, fraudsters, money launderers, that type of criminal. This was supposed to be an easier prison, with the problem that it gave no food, you were an inmate somebody from outside had to provide for you. This made it imperative for most of the inmates to be from around the area, They mostly had family who either sent them food every day or came once a week and left them money for whatever they needed. Still these guys preferred being here, because they got to see their families as they were close by.

I went in a few years ago to visit a friend who was locked up, he had sold the same property three times. I felt depressed just as soon as I was in there. I went in with another friend at around nine thirty on a Sunday, by ten fifteen I had had enough so I said OK, I am leaving. I went to the gate and the guard told me I could only leave at ten, twelve or two. Man that left me in there for another hour and a half maybe more. And now I can tell you I was really feeling the pressure, I wanted out of there. When I finally did get out, all I could think was how awful it must be for those who know they will be in there for years.

Anyway that is what I came to this morning an empty prison and big lines of inmate's families asking where there loved ones were sent to. Of course this move was made in secrecy, no way you can let something like this out, you never know what could happen. But now the thing is done, there is no more prison by the water front. This has serious financial consequences for quite a few people, but I do believe it had to be done, it was just not feasible to continue with this any more.

I took one of these pictures from the wharf the others from the streets. You can see the old building plus the people waiting for information. One good thing about this I forgot to mention is that the cell phone signal is no longer blocked in the area so I can have internet access and phone calls from anywhere in that area.