Shock Factor at Visit to Riverhead Jail
Even if you are free to leave whenever you want to, a visit to the Suffolk County correctional facility in Riverhead is a jarring experience.
Jail is never a good place to be. Several dozen Huntington High School students recently visited the East End lock-up through Suffolk Sheriff Vincent DeMarco’s Youth Enlightenment Seminar program.
The teenagers are either enrolled in Huntington social studies teacher Erik Bruckbauer’s Criminal Justice class or in business teacher Suzi Biagi’s Personal and Business Law course.
“Students have the opportunity to meet with a deputy sheriff prior to the trip and then tour the correctional facility and spend time with a select group of inmates who share their personal stories in an effort to dissuade others from getting into trouble,” Mrs. Biagi said.
“Our YES program stresses education and reality,” Sheriff DeMarco said. “By giving kids a realistic view of what lies ahead if they cross that line, we hope that it will leave a strong enough imprint in their minds to stop them from engaging in criminal acts.”
The YES initiative got off the ground in 2010. It is available to school groups or even parents, who accompany their son or daughter into the jail for a personal tour arranged by special appointment.
“This trip was awesome because it was quite a motivator to stay out of trouble,” one Huntington student said. “I know now I never want to be in that type of environment. It was scary, grimy, had a weird smell and I felt very uncomfortable. I definitely know it’s a place I never want to go.”
Mrs. Biagi said many of the inmates the group met with were within the age range of the Huntington teenagers. “It was a real eye opener for them to hear firsthand accounts of how simply being with people who you think are your ‘friends’ can land you behind bars when you are all caught together and just one of you has done the wrong thing.”
The YES program tour of the jail is interactive in nature as students proceed through a series of “steps” ranging from the arrest and intake process to fingerprinting and mug shots. Students met with actual inmates in the facility’s chapel area. Known as the “How I got to this point in my life” segment, inmates provide a description of how bad decisions can lead to arrest, conviction and a prison sentence.
“The Suffolk County correctional system is operated by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office,” according to the county website. “The system, with an average daily population of 1,400 inmates, is the fourth largest local jail system in the state and consists of a maximum security wing, built in phases commencing in 1966 and a newer medium security building completed in 1987. This building has a square footage of 298,592. Riverhead has a design capacity of 769 cells. All specialized beds for mental observation and segregation are located here as well.”
Mrs. Biagi said another trip to jail is planned for February 2016 with a different group of students. She already has a list containing the names of those interested in making the trek to Riverhead.