In Jefferson City, Missouri, 170 people volunteered to spend the weekend in a new country jail. The purpose was to give the new jail a “test run” before it opened for business this week. The Cole County Sheriff’s Department charged $30 a night for people to spend the night in jail. The “arrestees” included local media, lawyers, and even a couple who was celebrating their first wedding anniversary.
There were people from three states who came to experience the accommodations of the new jail. According to Greg White, the sheriff of Cole county, “it was something they could experience without having to get a criminal record…They spent the night and gained an understanding that they would not want to ever do this again.”
Those in jail were given the entire experience, too. They had to give up their cell phones, jewelry, and other personal belongings. Booking photos were taken and then the people were placed in their cells; however, cell doors were allowed to remain open. That didn’t stop the visitors from feeling a bit trapped, though. The outer room doors to the cell areas were locked.
One reporter from the Jefferson News Tribune, Bob Watson, said, “While it was not a true replication of jail, you got some sense of what it’s like to hear that door lock behind you.” The two things that Watson said were most prominent were a lack of choice and boredom. He said that the TV was only on one channel and everyone who stayed was talking loudly, drowning out the TV.
A thin mattress on a steel bunk served as a bed. The food consisted of pasta with bits of turkey and a coffee cake on Friday night. The dinner wasn’t too bad, according to some of the weekend residents.
Those who stayed were rewarded with a t-shirt and their booking picture. Half of the money collected went to the United Way, while the other half went to the sheriff’s department.
