MY TIME IN JAIL ...

 It's Halloween time of the year once again!

Here is a text that Hélène Parent, ESL student, advanced group

composed and shared with us in class this past week.

The 'horrors' of what was once  time spent in jail...

 

I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU MY TIME IN JAIL …

Don't be afraid I'm not a criminal.  I just had the opportunity to visit the old jail in Trois-Rivières.  It's possible to sleep there for a night and eat the prisoner's breakfast but after my visit I wouldn’t stay there anymore.  The stone walls are very thick so it's always cold and humid.  Furthermore the prisoners' conditions were horrible.    Anyone could be incarcerated, they could have been as young as 10 or 12 years old  and also for a minor offence.

This detention centre opened officially in 1822 and remained in operation until 1986.  Most of the time it was overcrowded.  There was no privacy so you can imagine all the problems, bad odors, noise, fights.  When a prisoner came in the guard gave him or her the prisoner's gift: a pair of pants, a shirt, a pillow (a used one full of all you can imagine) and a rough grey woolen blanket; then brought to the cell. To welcome him, the oldest prisoner of the cell required the newcomer to exchange his effects against his.

There were six beds in the men’s cell but most of the time up to eighteen prisoners lived there.  So most of them slept on the floor, close to the toilet buckets (one bucket for six prisoners).  The most recent arrival was in charge of emptying that bucket.  Every day the prisoners ate the same meal which consisted of oats, beans and bread.  They were allowed to wash themselves once a week  but there was only one bar of soap for all the prisoners in the cell. Too bad for the last ones!  They could go outside one hour a week but only weather permitting.  They spent the whole day standing up in a small room in front of the cell.  They had nothing to do except smoke and fight.  They couldn't complain about their condition otherwise they were beaten by the guards and locked up nude in a dark frozen dungeon, full of spiders and rats. Rarely did they have visitors.  Under the supervision of a jailer, three prisoners could sit behind a grid in front of three visitors.  No intimacy, no complaining allowed.

The women's detention conditions were a bit different but also very harsh.  Each one lived in a tiny cell surrounded by grids large enough for a bed and a toilet bucket.  They were allowed to keep with them one of their children. 
In the beginning, people could witness the hangings.  At the end the administration built a stone wall all around the prison so it was impossible to see the "show".  But many people who lived nearby charged a fee and let the others climb on their roofs.

This visit was such an experience. The guide was very interesting and made us feel like a prisoner.  Each visitor in turn had to play a role. As the visit was ending, I told him that if he were to teach the same way in class, he would be a great teacher.  He answered me by saying that I had better not try to corrupt him. 

  THANKS HÉLÈNE for sharing

 part of our lurid and

  gruesome past with us.

 Thanks for writing and informing us.

SUZANNE

 

EXTRA INFORMATION

Following the posting of this text I got an email which actually is a comment from a former student, Huguette. THANKS!!!

 What she wrote about is an annual celebration at the jail which gives another meaning to experiencing FEARS. Every year during the Halloween period they organize a theme relating to this Holiday. This year it was about transforming the jail into a makeshift hospital. They invite you to challenge your greatest fears. Do you dare try it?

 

The following is from the site. It is the 2014 edition.  
Alert: A strange parasite attacks the people of Trois-Rivières! Day after day, the people around you are getting sick: some fall into a deep coma, others succumb to hemorrhagic fever or  become severely deformed while several completely lose reason. Are you infected? As a preventive measure, you are taken to the Old Prison of Trois-Rivières, temporarily transformed into a makeshift hospital. How do you resist the mysterious parasite in this prison life worrying?