Lace Prison

Introduction:

I have always had an interest in the criminal mind. I think this is my father’s fault. We were not that close, but his work is what attracted me to him in the first place. It is kind of hard to say, really. He was a good criminologist, but a terrible father. His work always came first. I couldn’t remember a time when he ever came home for dinner. My father even missed my birthday one year. Maybe that’s why momma left him when I was small. But still, I just loved the research he did.

I first showed an interest at the age of twelve. I happened to walk into his office at home one day after school. I found him at his desk as per usual.

“Daddy,” I whispered.

“What do you want?” he mumbled. I shuffled my feet as I walked inside.

“Are you going to miss dinner again?” I asked.

“Daddy has to work,” he said. “Go do your homework or something.” I didn’t go away like he said this time. Instead, I walked into his office and sat down next to him. I looked at his papers.

“What are you doing?” I asked. He paused and glanced over at me with no emotion on his face. I thought that he was going to get mad at me for disturbing him. Instead, he slid the file in front of my line of vision.

“Let me show you,” he said. We read over that file together. That was the genesis into criminology. My father died last year and I’m carrying on in his practice.

Today, I am going to Hunter Fox Women’s Prison. I am to interview eight female inmates for my research. The bus rode up to the entrance and I stepped off. A guard was waiting for me at the gate.

“Ms. Christine,” she greeted me. “You’ve made it just in time. Please show me your id.” I reached into my bag for my wallet. I gave her my id. The guard looked over it for a brief moment. She handed it back with a stoic look on her face.

“Fair enough,” she said. Then, the guard turned to the front gate and pressed the call button.

“Ms. Christine is here,” she announced. “Unlock the gate to let us in.”

“Roger that,” the voice said on the other line. The gate suddenly unlocked and pushed open. The guard turned to me.

“Right this way, Ms. Christine,” she said.

“Yes ma’am,” I replied. Then, she led me into the yard and straight to my assignment.