Locked up


Jen will never forget that cold day in October; when she was only 17 and the judge looked at her and said
“ Five days in Oakland County Jail”, then saying,
“I hope this teaches you something and you change.”
She remembered her mom crying, while she was calm. Jen was in shock more then anything.
She remembered the cop saying “turn around please so I can cuff you in the front.”
The whole way to the jail she sat there thinking about her mom. The whole time Jen was in jail she was scared to death and missed her mom like crazy. She told herself she would never go back to jail.

Fast foreword four and a half months; Jen is back in court and the judge looked at her and said, “Thirty days this time and I’m closing your case.”
This time Jen balled her eyes out. Leaving her mom for twenty something days was going to be hard. Sitting in the holding cell Jen balled her eyes out. After the tears started to dry, Jen called her mom. With a husky voice she said, “Mom I love you, mom my life is over I’m not graduating, I’m screwed and I’m going to miss Beth’s birthday.”
Her response “Baby we will figure it out and we will get through this and your sister will understand, and this will give you time to think.”
Jen spent three days in new arrest. The worst part about the whole thing three days on 23-hour lock down. The food looks like something not even a wild animal would eat and smells like it. Some of the guards are ok. Most of them are jerks and treat you like you killed someone. After 3 days in new arrest they moved Jen upstairs to the pod 2-E, which is, yes, on the men’s floor. A pod is twenty-four cells with two people to each. The guards are nicer up there. There is a big open room called “the day room” with tables and chairs and couches, there are also 2 TVs and the good thing Jen said about going to a pod is that you’re not on lock down for twenty-three hours a day. You get out at 5am to eat breakfast then go back to your cell. Then you get let out at 8am till 10am then you eat lunch. Then you are locked in your cell till 11:30am or 12pm. Then you are out till 5pm then you clean up and do your chore. Then you are locked down till 6:30 then get let out until 10 or 10:30 then again for the last time at 11:15pm then locked down for the night at midnight. Jen said that most of the people that were in her pod were there for violation of probation or driving on suspended license.

There was one girl that while she was there that was in her pod, that three days before she got let out her boyfriend was on the news. He and one of his friends killed his foster parents with a baseball bat. That was the worst day of being in jail to Jen. Jen went to her cell after everyone saw the news and thought to herself;” what if that was my boyfriend on the news? What if I saw him or someone I was close with on the news while I was in jail? Jen couldn’t even start to imagine what she would feel if something like that happened to her.

“Jen are you okay?” her bunkmate asked.

“ Yeah, I’m okay just thinking, thanks for asking”
The next few days were hard on the other girl. Jen said she was in shock and didn’t want to believe it at first, but when they started questioning her. Jen said it became more realistic. And she broke down and couldn’t eat: all she became a giant mess. At first everyone felt bad for her, but after a few days everyone seemed to stop caring. Around the 3rd day, everyone was just sick of hearing about it and dealing with her. Jen felt bad for her, but at the same time, she didn’t really seem to care anymore either. It was beginning to drive her crazy.
It was a Thursday morning right before lunch when Jen heard
“Jen change your clothes get your stuff you’re leaving”
She couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t supposed to leave till 12:01 Sunday morning. That was the best moment of her life hearing those words and getting dressed she thought she was going to cry she was so happy. She said goodbye to everyone and walked out of the pod with two other girls. On her way downstairs, she just kept thinking to herself; I never want to me in this place or have to go through this again. This has opened my eyes and made me realize I need to change a lot of what I do and whom I hang out with. Make better choices and its time to grow up and take responsibility for my actions.
Jen called her mom and said “Mom, they let me out early come get me”
Her mom said “I cant I’m at work walk to your sisters house, I will call and let her know you are on your way.”

Jen will never be able to explain all the feelings that were going through her body and head as she was waiting for them to open the door and let her out. On her way to her sisters house she promised herself from there on out she was going to get her life together and do better and accomplish her goals.


Authors note:
I am proud to say that yes even though this is a true story this experience taught me a lot and has helped me become who I am today. I used to be mad about this whole experience but I now realize that it has shaped me and made me realize no one is above the law because I used to think I could do anything and never get caught till the day I got arrested. I hope no one ever has to go through this and I do not wish this on anyone. So I hope this story makes some teenager that thinks they are never going to get busted well it might just happen and this is what you have to look for.