Western Youth Prison Tour

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The prison tours conducted at Western Youth Institution and Foothills Correctional Institution were very beneficial for my educational experience in the field of Corrections. Both of the prison facilities provided a stark and ominous reality of life behind bars and afforded a brief glimpse into the everyday world of the inmate. The inmates at these facilities are confined in a world that is dictated by the strict adherence to rules, subject to random searches and seizures, and deprived of liberties that common citizens never give a second thought about. These young people have to deal with the harsh and brutal reality that every day at the two institutions are exactly the same; conformity and acceptance seem to burn their way into the lives’ of each inmate, as evidenced in their solemn eyes. However, despite the cold and indifferent conditions at the two institutions, inmates do have realistic opportunities to better themselves and rehabilitate into law abiding citizens. Western Youth Institution At the first stop of our tour, Western Youth Institution seemed more like a college dorm type of building than a prison. The single structure design and sixteen floors resembled something you might even see on Appalachian State’s campus! Nevertheless, this was still a prison and in the case of Western Youth Institution, the initial appearance did masquerade the ominous nature housed within the walls of the prison. Western Youth Institution, designed and built in 1972, is a minimum security prison that houses male juveniles up to the age of eighteen years of age. In contrast to the other minimum security prison that I have been to (Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Institute), Western Youth would not leave me with the same “warm” feeling as I felt at Swannanoa. This would not be due to the differences in the sexes, but it would be attributed to the severity and complexity of
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