Day 6 - 3/13
Today, the study abroad group were up and out of the Harcourt Hotel by 8am to get onto the coach bus to Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. Our drive to Belfast took about 2 hours, and our first stop was to visit the Hydebank College and Women’s Prison. This prison is like no prison in the United States.
We were greeted by senior officers, and sisters, Holly and Amber. They were extremely welcoming, and we were also greeted by the successful Governor, Richard Taylor. The prison houses male youth and all females. In the past, the male population was much higher, but in recent years, the females are higher in population. As the model at the prison is focused on rehabilitation and diversion programs, inspectors have reported on the amazing success this prison has established. With a multitude of certificates within their education quarters, prisoners referred to here as residents, leave the facility with a significant number of qualifications once they reintegrate into society.
Influenced by family ties to the correctional officer career path, Holly and Amber strived to help others in a time of crisis. While touring the state-of the-art facility, students witnessed:
Residents are able to roam freely under schedules and able to wear their own clothing under a minor dress code which was a culture shock to most of us comparing our corrections system.For trusted residents, they are able to live in apartment/dormitory style living space with a shared kitchen and living area. Officers buy residents groceries to cook/bake their own meals for a sense of self and community as they often share meals with one another.
An intriguing part of the tour was when some students met Dylan and Jordan, enhanced living residents. As we entered the educational building, these men were giving one another haircuts, and they took the time to speak with us afterwards. It was learned that Jordan completed 30 certificates, and he is now enrolled for college since he was done the maximum number of certificates. He studies exercise science. Dylan has a few months until he is released from the facility. He has been serving time since he was 18, and this is his first birthday he will celebrate, turning 23 years old. He also has multiple qualifications to take into society. Jordan helps assist taking care of Milo, a cocker spaniel therapy dog, and Jordan and Dylan help with the fostered lambs. The men took students to pet the lambs, and some students got the chance to hold one!
After the Hydebank College and Women’s Prison visit, the group dropped our luggage off at Ibis Hotel City Centre Hotel. The group then climbed aboard the coach to hear a fascinating city tour, giving us some insight into local landmarks and stories. We learned that Belfast has 600,000 people living in the capital, and it covers most of the population here in Northern Ireland. It is famously called a Victorian City for Queen Victoria who only visited here one day, for a few hours. It is amazing how influential she is on the city since multiple areas are named specifically after her. Queens College is named after the queen, and there is a large statue of her in front of city hall built in 1906. The architecture of Queens College was fascinatingly modeled from Oxford University in Oxford, England.
As Belfast is a port and still is a working port, we passed the Titanic Experience which was built as a replica of the height of the original Titanic ship. Including passing this, we also passed the S.S. Nomadic which is referred to as Titanic’s little sister which shipped 1st class and 2nd class passengers to board the iconic ship. Where the Titanic sat before bestowing the water, it is now a concert area, and nearby, is the Titanic Studios and the SSE Arena home to the Northern Ireland ice hockey team.
The most famous pub in the city is known as the Crown Liquor Saloon. It is the oldest pub in Northern Ireland, famous for its original gas lamps, tiles, and Victorian era aesthetic. Also passing through a popular area of the city known as the linen quarters for its bustling labor workers, we passed St. George’s Market, where we will be visiting on Sunday. Our coach tour came to an end as we were dropped off to tour Crumlin Road Gaol. The Crumlin Road Gaol, also referred to as the Crum, dates to 1845 with multiple additions to the architectureover the years to accommodate prisoners. This gaol interestingly had a tunnel that ran from one side to the other of the street to access the courthouse without outsiders observing inmates heading to court. As it is an old building, we were only allowed a certain length into the tunnel for safety reasons.
During the tour, we were shown cell that signified the overcapacity of the gaol during the 1970s and 1980s. The prison was designed for each cell to hold single occupancy and the capacity is 320. The prison population during this time reached to 1,400 creating unsanitary, unsafe, and harmful conditions for inmates. Follwoing the education behind the cells, we witnessedthe execution room that had a noose, and we could see the basement where the bodies of the executed fell to then be pronounced dead by the doctors. Most of the prison was cold, but this room was exceedingly colder than the rest of the prison.
To end the day, the students had dinner at The Lantern. Meals were absolutely delicious and made us all full to be able to return to our hotel rooms to get a good night's rest for our adventure tomorrow!
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