So this last week and this weekend I forged my way to Leavenworth Kansas for the only thing that is there – Prison. As you know I have a brother in law who is currently incarcerated there for a drug charge from 15 years ago. His total sentence is 17 ½ years with 5 years supervision for a total of 22 ½ years he owes the United States for his bad deed.
This is new territory for me. I come from a family of well educated white folks. We go to State Universities, not State Penitentiaries. Before Friday I had never even been to a city jail so as one of the visiting wives said “girl, you started with the big time” and I guess I did. Visiting days are only allowed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm. We left my in laws house on Wednesday evening around 6:30 and started North. We knew we needed to get there sometime early afternoon Thursday to check out the city and find out where to be Friday morning.
From the direction we came into the town of Leavenworth we first passed all the razor wire then inmates out on the “yard”. The facility itself wasn’t over powering to the eye but you could certainly understand that the people there didn’t win an award to get in the gate. I thought to myself “oh this must be it” and since the grounds sprawled out for what seemed to be a mile I thought for sure this was it. What else would it be? Then I saw the sign Lansing Correctional Facility. Formerly known as Kansas State Penitentiary. Apparently there are a total of 4 “correctional” facilities in this city of only 74,000. There is really not much to the city other than an active Army Fort and Prisons. All kinds of prisons: State Prison, Federal Prison and Military Prison.
When we came to the main highway we decided to go ahead and find our hotel room and then find the penitentiary. Once checked in and unloaded we set off to find our way so that at 6 am the next morning there would be no confusion. We were told that the gates for visitors do not open until 7:30 but people tend to line up very early. However if you get there before 7:30 the officers will run you off the property so we were told to wait at the car wash that is directly across the street. As we headed West down Metropolitan Avenue, we saw a huge entrance with cars lined up to get in. Was this it? Was this Leavenworth? No, this was Fort Leavenworth the active military base and military prison. There were large signs warning of no unauthorized personnel beyond this point. We got back onto the road and continued West and then through tree you can see a hint of shine. The shine was from the enormous dome that was at the center of the front wall. We pass the visitors entrance, pass the employee entrance, and head straight into the horse shoe shaped drive. This was not an unassuming building. It was a colossal bolder of steal and rock that kept the free world safe from the demons on the inside. The walls around the building are 40 feet high, and 40 feet below, and they seemed so small compared to the massive building itself. This building was built by inmates at the Camp Leavenworth back in 1895 and made to look like the Capital Building in Washington DC. It did not disappoint. The 43 steps from the ground to the front door is so assuming and arrogant. It’s enough to take your breath away at first site. As we drive closer and steps become larger and the signs stating no unauthorized personnel become superior. At this point I am just in awe but not as much as when my father in law tells Wilson to “stop the car” as to which Wilson says “what”? Ron says “there are some guys over there and they can tell me where we need to go tomorrow morning”. Wilson apprehensively stops the car and Ron gets out and starts walking past the front barriers that clearly are telling him to stay back. When the officer notices Ron walking towards him he left the group he was walking with and made a straight line to Ron. We laughed in the car that they were going to draw their guns on him. He stood there and spoke to this gentleman who clearly was trying to walk him back to the general public side of the walkway. Although not the choice the rest of us would have picked we found out all of the information we needed for the next day.
At this point we decided to drive around and take in what we could of the landmark. The walls are forbidding and nothing much can be seen. This city within a city is certainly self contained and welcomes no intrusion from the outer world.
After talking to Scott we discovered that they can not see outside the windows that make up the façade in the building and at closer inspection they are frosted from outside invasion. Another point to which the world on the inside is drastically different from the world outside.
This is new territory for me. I come from a family of well educated white folks. We go to State Universities, not State Penitentiaries. Before Friday I had never even been to a city jail so as one of the visiting wives said “girl, you started with the big time” and I guess I did. Visiting days are only allowed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm. We left my in laws house on Wednesday evening around 6:30 and started North. We knew we needed to get there sometime early afternoon Thursday to check out the city and find out where to be Friday morning.
From the direction we came into the town of Leavenworth we first passed all the razor wire then inmates out on the “yard”. The facility itself wasn’t over powering to the eye but you could certainly understand that the people there didn’t win an award to get in the gate. I thought to myself “oh this must be it” and since the grounds sprawled out for what seemed to be a mile I thought for sure this was it. What else would it be? Then I saw the sign Lansing Correctional Facility. Formerly known as Kansas State Penitentiary. Apparently there are a total of 4 “correctional” facilities in this city of only 74,000. There is really not much to the city other than an active Army Fort and Prisons. All kinds of prisons: State Prison, Federal Prison and Military Prison.
When we came to the main highway we decided to go ahead and find our hotel room and then find the penitentiary. Once checked in and unloaded we set off to find our way so that at 6 am the next morning there would be no confusion. We were told that the gates for visitors do not open until 7:30 but people tend to line up very early. However if you get there before 7:30 the officers will run you off the property so we were told to wait at the car wash that is directly across the street. As we headed West down Metropolitan Avenue, we saw a huge entrance with cars lined up to get in. Was this it? Was this Leavenworth? No, this was Fort Leavenworth the active military base and military prison. There were large signs warning of no unauthorized personnel beyond this point. We got back onto the road and continued West and then through tree you can see a hint of shine. The shine was from the enormous dome that was at the center of the front wall. We pass the visitors entrance, pass the employee entrance, and head straight into the horse shoe shaped drive. This was not an unassuming building. It was a colossal bolder of steal and rock that kept the free world safe from the demons on the inside. The walls around the building are 40 feet high, and 40 feet below, and they seemed so small compared to the massive building itself. This building was built by inmates at the Camp Leavenworth back in 1895 and made to look like the Capital Building in Washington DC. It did not disappoint. The 43 steps from the ground to the front door is so assuming and arrogant. It’s enough to take your breath away at first site. As we drive closer and steps become larger and the signs stating no unauthorized personnel become superior. At this point I am just in awe but not as much as when my father in law tells Wilson to “stop the car” as to which Wilson says “what”? Ron says “there are some guys over there and they can tell me where we need to go tomorrow morning”. Wilson apprehensively stops the car and Ron gets out and starts walking past the front barriers that clearly are telling him to stay back. When the officer notices Ron walking towards him he left the group he was walking with and made a straight line to Ron. We laughed in the car that they were going to draw their guns on him. He stood there and spoke to this gentleman who clearly was trying to walk him back to the general public side of the walkway. Although not the choice the rest of us would have picked we found out all of the information we needed for the next day.
At this point we decided to drive around and take in what we could of the landmark. The walls are forbidding and nothing much can be seen. This city within a city is certainly self contained and welcomes no intrusion from the outer world.
After talking to Scott we discovered that they can not see outside the windows that make up the façade in the building and at closer inspection they are frosted from outside invasion. Another point to which the world on the inside is drastically different from the world outside.
1 comment:
wow, sounds massive! I can't wait to hear more! I hope that you are feeling better girl!
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